The Black Paw
by Ice-Tea-1983
Summary: Ranma Gold Digger Kim Possible Crossover. AU Ranma is flung into another world due to a miscalculation in Happosai's revenge for thwarting his fun. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

(Re-Posted January 11th 2007)

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Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

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It was a normal day in the somewhat crazed district of Nerima.

This part of Tokyo has some very wild urban legends about super-powered Martial Artists, Demons, Gods, and other miscellaneous creatures that fight day and night in insane and stupid forms of Martial Arts battles.

After all, a boy that killed a God with little more than his fists could only be a myth, right?

This same boy couldn't possibly have a steadily increasing number of suitors and rivals chasing him all day, right?

And he certainly couldn't have a gender-changing curse triggered by water of different temperatures, right?

Wrong. Every myth and legend about Nerima holds a large grain of truth to them.

However, the centre of these events was missing from his usual haunts.

Ranma Saotome was missing from the roof of the Tendo Dojo. He was not present in any of the eateries owned and run by a myriad of his fiancées. He was not hiding under a bridge or even on a training trip. All of these locations had been searched time and again by said fiancées and the rivals he had for those girls. It was tearing them apart … and they in turn were tearing the area apart in their search.

Where would we find out missing hero, you ask? Why, in the very last place any of them would think to look for him … in school.

This is why we would move our sights to Furinkan High, the scene for many insane statements, battles and courting rituals. It was after school hours, which meant that only the school's clubs and custodial staff were present.

We would not find our hero in the Kendo Club, which was more or less a poetry club where everyone were dressed in clothing that was all the rage for off-duty or training samurai three hundred years ago. Occasionally there was some idiot who got the idea that they would actually practice, and dared lift his bokken, but he was always swatted back to the ground for another poetry recital by their beloved –gag- captain, Tatewaki Kuno, the rising star of the world of Kendo, the Blue Thunder.

We would not find Ranma in the Gymnastics Club, where limber girls were occupying their time doing things that will not be mentioned specifically in this fiction at this time, as it will distract from the story … let it be said that their limbs would be very flexible when they were done. Even their tongues got a workout. And the less said about their tools the better … but they had better clean them properly before the next Gymnastics Tournament … provided they dared bring them for such an official event.

We did not find the missing Martial Artist in the Drama Club, where the director was busy rewriting that infamous _Scottish Play_, that must not be mentioned by title for fear of grave misfortune, to suit the insane mood of their audience. Had Shakespeare been alive, he would most likely have taken his own life by means of a hot poker through the ear if he saw the end result of this rewrite. To make this scene more interesting, the actors and stage hands were playing poker, while dressed as their favourite character, regardless of species and gender. Godzilla once again beat Pinocchio and the Little Mermaid into the dust and stood up, impersonating King Kong while proclaiming his greatness. A shoe bouncing off his head was a sign that the director had just lost his concentration due to these antics.

Ranma wasn't even in the Chess Club, where the President once more trounced every one of his members simultaneously, while proclaiming his sovereignty of the game.

Ranma was certainly not to be found in the Fashion Club, where the girls were looking into next Autumn's style for cat-girls. The reasons for this were beyond even the sanest person, so we wouldn't want to think more about it for fear of infection of the brain. –Shudder- Fashion cooties! You'll never be the same if you ever catch them …

The members of the Art Club were certainly getting an eyeful of Ranko, but neither Ranma nor Ranko were physically present. The club was doing anatomy studies at the time, using some rather revealing shots of Ranko as reference, courtesy of Nabiki Inc. Some of the fainter of heart had to take five minute breathers every now and again, to keep their brushes steady. This had become one of the better ways of earning money for arts supplies, as Tatewaki Kuno always bought any image, sculpture, painting or photograph or even sketches of his Pigtailed Goddess unseen. For some reason, hardly any of the members had the stomach to paint Akane's nude portrait … the theory was that she simply wasn't as appealing after having been exposed to hours upon hours of staring at Ranko's "talents". This theory was very well acknowledged among the members, and was constantly referred to whenever new members joined. And for some mysterious but very annoying reason, their reference photographs kept disappearing, forcing them to go to Nabiki for more.

Neither would Ranma be found in the Cheerleading Squad, even though they had begged Ranko repeatedly about joining them after the Anything Goes Cheerleading Battle was fought.

The Baseball Club, while more than happy to have had him, were not hosting Ranma either. They were practicing their swings … on life-sized dummies with either a pigtail at the base of the neck, a bokken at the waits, a blue wig of short hair, or a tiger-striped bandana around the head and an umbrella on its back.

No, our hero would be found hidden in a dark corner of the basement, along with the Science Club.

This might seem a tad out of character for the normally dense boy, but there is a perfectly logical explanation.

About four months ago, three weeks after the failed wedding between Ranma and Akane immediately following the infamous battle of Jusendo, the President of the Science Club was under attack by some thugs that had just moved to the neighbourhood and dismissed the rumours about how the peace was kept, and decided to rob the President of the money he was about to upgrade the Club's equipment with. Mere seconds away from a brutal and painful beating, President Kashima Iwo was saved by the Martial Artist formally addressed as Saotome Ranma. The details of the fight was not necessary to describe, but let it be noted that the three thugs would not be bothering anyone in the area again … nor would they be able to chew their own food until they saw a dentist … after they had set their broken bones, and the doctor could confirm or refute their ability to procreate.

The President was very grateful for Ranma's services, and insisted on repaying him by helping Ranma improve his grades in school. Ranma saw no need for this kind of book-smarts, and declined, saying that it was his duty as a Martial Artist to help those weaker than himself.

However, President Iwo was not deterred, and haunted Ranma's every step for the following three days, until he offered a challenge to Ranma, on his honour.

Ranma, being unable to resist any challenge of honour accepted without a second thought, and was therefore given the task of constructing an engine for a child's go-cart from scratch, without using means that would harm the environment, in only one week, and without the aid of any member of the Science Club. If the go-cart worked, Ranma would win the challenge and receive an unnamed prize. If it didn't work, Ranma was to learn at President Iwo's proverbial feet for a year, studying _his_ Art.

Ranma, knowing the answer would not come to him just by sitting there with no knowledge of anything within this field, visited the library to locate the root of this Art. Ranma knew that to truly learn a school of Martial Arts, he would have to know how it came to be, how it had changed over the years, and how he could use it. Certainly this rule must hold true for this task as well.

His search eventually led to one famous name; Leonardo DaVinci.

This man had designed the tank nearly three hundred years before it was made for World War 1. He designed the helicopter, hang glider, the parachute, cluster bombs and even the bicycle and many other things that could not and would not be constructed for a very long time. This was the man that held the answers to Ranma's quest, as he was the first man to design an engine that was essentially made up of two or more springs going in opposing directions. This was an engine that could theoretically run forever, as one set of springs would wind up the other set while slackening, powering some cogs to produce the propulsion needed for any ground or water based vehicle, or even, if enough springs were involved, aircrafts could use them as well.

For the first time to his recollection, Ranma copied something not even close to being related to Martial Arts from a book, compared it to several others, then decided which held the best solution to his specific task. He also, for the first time, cross-referenced these plans he had found with books on metal working and engineering.

Had any of Ranma's rivals or suitors seen this, they would have fainted. The very idea that Ranma Saotome, Martial Artist, dummy, and as anti-scholastic as they come, was reading multiple books per hour, while jotting down notes and diagrams, as he kept out of sight by balancing on the Library chandelier would be too much to handle.

With four days to go, Ranma secluded himself from his usual mess and actually managed to make the engine and fit it completely into the small go-cart by the final day. The mess created with his life because of this seclusion is best left to the reader's imagination.

President Iwo was impressed that Ranma had actually managed to do this. Not necessarily because of Ranma's infamously obtuse wit for everything outside of fighting, but because Ranma's days were more or less Chaos. This meaning; fiancées coming and going, rivals out for his blood, an idiotic father complaining about how dishonourable his son is, and many other distractions. He was further impressed when he learned that Ranma had made the engine from scratch, including making new springs, cogs and rods from metal garbage, smelted down and moulded or hammered into shape.

It puzzled President Iwo how Ranma had done this without any tools, but, not wanting _that_ headache, as the answer to his question would most likely be crazy and in blatant defiance of logic and laws of nature.

When he had brought up the challenge, President Iwo had thought that Ranma would try something more along the lines of a solar powered electric engine in the best case. In the most mundane case, he had expected Ranma to mount a mast and sail on the go-cart, or even rip off the pedals, gears and chains of a bicycle and make an attempt at integrating them into the thing. Something as simple, yet ingenious as large springs and cogs was not even close to what he had thought. It really bothered him that he had not seen this possible solution sooner. After all, some toy cars got wound up by pulling them back a bit then letting them go, and they were powered by springs … then why not do something similar for a practical transportation?

Ranma had won the challenge, and as his prize, he got a membership to the Science Club and a complete set of tools for any job, which had taken a lot of funds out of the Club Treasury. It looked like they would have to sell their services to the local industry again, or in the worst case hold a –shudder- bake-sale. (Holding a car wash was out of the question. Firstly, hardly any of them had any noteworthy physique. Second, there were very few female members in the club, and they fell under the first category. Thirdly, there were very few people that actually drove a car in this area due to the poor condition the roads were from the high level Martial Arts battles that took place almost daily. Fourthly, every time they had tried to hold a car wash in the past, the Fashion Club, Cheerleading Squad or Gymnastics Club had somehow found out about it and held their own car wash on the same day, robbing any potential customers from them with a few skimpy outfits that were not designed to be exposed to water while worn and with exaggerated movements, stretches and bends to emphasise that they had very attractive bodies.)

Anyway, after his first taste of victory in a challenge where he didn't use any form of known Martial Arts, Ranma began thirsting for more challenges, even if they were made by himself, so after a week of trying to deny that he wanted this, he took full advantage of the Science Club membership, and used its gloomy locale as a refuge from the insanity that was his life.

There, hidden in the dark basement of Furinkan High, Ranma found a strange sort of happiness every time he was successful in making something work. Anything from plumbing, engineering and robotics to metal working and computer programming was subject to experimentation. His fellow members were his closest friends, his secret friends that knew not to make any public greetings to reveal their familiarity with him and thus his secret pastime, friends that complimented his work when he succeeded and gave tips and suggestions when he was stumped, while not demanding anything in return. But he did what he could to assist them when he was able, though he had to be cautious in not revealing himself if he ever did help in public.

But his secret studies showed their results in Ranma's grades, as they climbed upwards steadily.

It took all of Ranma's persuasive powers to get all his teachers not to let anyone know of his improvements, even going as far as to telling them how his father would react and what would be expected of him.

Marrying Akane would be, and always had been, at the top of the prioritised list of obligations, something Ranma was not about to do. That girl had, not a week after their failed wedding, lost all trust in Ranma, and as impossible as it seems, her skills in everything seemed to be deteriorating apart from her temper which seemed to increase, and her control was going into the negative. Any little thing, even something like breathing too loudly was interpreted as an insult to her skills or an act of perversion, and punishment was swiftly dealt regardless of proof to the contrary. Now, if he was to actually show any real and significant improvement surpassing her in school, the only field where Akane had ever been able to top Ranma … well, the results would not be pretty.

Ranma's teachers did not want this to happen to the student that was rapidly rising towards the top of his class, and if the pace continued, above the next class levels in a short time, and agreed to keep the news of his improvements from the Board of Education, Principle Kuno , and Ranma's parents until he graduated.

However, during an unscheduled teachers' conference with Ranma's teachers, the group as a whole filed charges for child abuse, child neglect, child labour and slavery against Genma Saotome, provided the government would be able to keep their identities confidential until a trial where they had to testify. This meant that in a year's time, depending on the cooperation of the bureaucracy, custody of one Ranma Saotome would either be handed to his mother, to Child Welfare, or as he was nearing an adult age, he would be emancipated. No matter the result, Genma Saotome would no longer have any say in his son's life, including but not limited to whom he was to marry.

This all leads to where we left off before the little history lesson. Ranma was at that time giving himself a challenge by trying to create a very simple Artificial Intelligence system. The desk he used was littered with tools and parts, ranging from soldering irons, circuit boards and loose LCD screens to batteries and a portable computer, the last of which he had put together, and then written the software for himself. Our hero had his tongue between his teeth as he carefully connected various parts and added connections to another circuit board.

Ranma was indeed a lucky individual, having made so many connections over the two years he had lived in the area.

The electronics parts he was working with were a result of the broken parts he was able to acquire from an electronics shop that specialised in computers and computer accessories. The owner had been spared from the collateral damage caused by Ranma's fights so many times that he allowed Ranma to take anything he wanted from the warehouse where he keeps broken or misused parts people have returned to him. It was because of this that Ranma was able to save the Science Club a great deal of funds, as he arranged for the privilege to be applied to the Club instead of him, allowing them to once a week go to this warehouse and pick what they might need. The owner was very happy, as the parts were virtually impossible to get rid of in a satisfactory manner … after all, most of the parts were perfectly restorable, and he didn't have the heart to throw any of them out, causing them to build up in volume. So Ranma's protecting his shop from damage combined with the Science Club helping him save space through recycling broken parts made Takagi Yamato one happy shop owner.

The door of the basement room creaked open, and suddenly all traces of Ranma were gone. Not a scrap of evidence that anyone had ever occupied the table was to be found.

The Science Club had long since gotten used to this, having witnessed it enough times over the past months.

A female member of the club entered, having been out to powder her nose, and closed the door behind her … after making sure no one were waiting outside.

Once the latch on the door clicked, Ranma suddenly reappeared exactly where he had been before, all the items on his table looking like they had never moved.

This was a trick Ranma had picked up very quickly, among other techniques.

Ranma himself had never gone anywhere, nor did any of his things. He had merely made an illusion that showed something else. This was a very useful trick and looked very real, but could easily be revealed if one were to throw something at it. Or in this case, if one were to walk through already occupied space.

Ranma never told anyone where he had picked up his new techniques, but President Iwo had discovered a folder in his computer trashcan, containing over one hundred gigabytes of collected manga and anime of Naruto and other ninja and fighting series, leading him to the conclusion that Ranma had been inspired by techniques he had observed through them, then disposed of the evidence.

Ranma was thriving in this club, pulling off creating simple yet useful things. Sometimes, he even based his projects on techniques or technology he had seen somewhere, as in movies, manga and anime.

There was one simply stunning invention the President was trying to get patented on Ranma's behalf. The Stuff-Space generator. A small chip running on minute amounts of bio-energy radiation that could be installed in the opening of a pocket or a bag, any container forming a loop with an extendable wire from the chip, and generated a fold in space within the container, allowing as much as twenty times normal holding capacity. Ranma was still working on upgrades, but in a very unhealthy move on his financial part, he was only doing this for the fun of it.

If this invention was ever to be sold Ranma stood to become obscenely wealthy on royalties alone, and any major industry and government would be fighting each other for the privilege of employing him, even as a freelance worker. In short, thanks to President Iwo, Ranma now had the possibility of becoming richer than even Bill Gates. Of course, Ranma knew nothing of what was in the works around him, and neither did his family. If they had, then Nabiki would be doing her utmost to woo Ranma into marriage, then divorce him when he got the money so she was entitled to more than half, and Genma would try to steal it all for his early retirement while bemoaning how his son was becoming a weak and dishonourable girl to rely on brains instead of brawn.

Ranma wiped his forehead clean of sweat and walked through the gaps between desks headed for the portable cooler set up as far away from any electronics or electricity as possibly to avoid any accidents from spillage, and fished a generic pop from the small pool of half-melted ice, triggering the curse.

The curse no longer bothered Ranma, but still, it was better to keep up appearances rather than having everyone harp on about how perverted and sick it was.

Ranma huffed and grabbed a paper towel to wipe off the water from her hand before tapping the seal of the can and bringing the sweet beverage to her lips. The only complaint Ranma now had about the curse was that it struck at the most inconvenient times, and it was not pleasant to walk about soaked to the bone.

Ranma had long since discovered the level of discomfort a set of boxers could cause during that time of the month, and the only reason she hadn't switched to panties, apart from feeling too girly, was that water was attracted to her no matter what form, and changing from female to male while wearing panties was a completely different sort of discomfort. As a compromise, she wore briefs with panty liners stuck to the inside where her female gender would be during a week of the month.

She remembered how tricky it had been to explain why she didn't change form the last time she had tried tampons and was splashed with hot water.

It was this incident that led Ranma to the discovery she'd rather not have; the curse was not evil, and did not want to hurt its victims. If the victim was within an enclosed space that would be too small in cursed form, then it would not activate, or the reverse, if the space was much too small for normal form, it would not change. And if there was a foreign body in a location one form did not have, the curse would not activate until the foreign body was gone. This meant that if she ever (Kami-Sama forbid) had sex with a guy, she would not be able to change back until the guy's fluids had been cleaned out, or in the worst case scenario until a baby had been born from her. This revelation had caused her to become nearly catatonic for a week.

After she drained the can of its liquids, Ranma crushed it with two fingers and tossed it across the room into the club's private recycling bin, which in this case meant they could recycle the content themselves and possibly use it as something more useful than what the recycling centres would. After all, aluminium had a relatively low smelting point, but could be very useful in their little projects, especially as casing for some insulated wiring and electronics.

Ranma returned to her table, looked over her progress and decided to call it a day.

"Hey, Iwo!" she called across the room, gaining the attention of the aforementioned boy. "I'm headin' home! Take care!"

With that said, as it was all she needed to say, Ranma packed up all her things and stowed them away in her personal stuff-space, one not generated by technology but her own aura, which allowed for an unknown amount to be stored.

As she was leaving the room, she was bid farewell with a collective "Good bye, Ranma-chan!" which really grated on her nerves, and she had told them time and again to stop calling her that, but they kept doing it out of friendly spite.

Before leaving the school grounds, Ranma stopped by the boys' locker room and splashed herself with warm water from the sink, reverting to his normal gender.

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However, because Ranma had had a relatively quiet day, the various deities of Chaos demanded the chaos that normally followed him around catch up with him, and add more madness to a normally strange situation.

"RANMA! YOU WILL RESPECT YOUR MASTER!"

Ranma stepped aside just in time to avoid to avoid being splashed by a bucket of water. This in itself made him blink. He usually never managed to avoid water when it was flying right at him. How did that happen? He thought.

Not wanting to try his luck, Ranma turned around to see a bruised and battered Happosai as he fumed on the street not twenty feet away. A visible aura had manifested itself around the diminutive old pervert.

Ranma knew there was a perfectly good reason for the Grandmaster of the Anything Goes Martial Arts being cross with him.

That morning on the way to school, Ranma had stopped by the police station with Happosai's horde of feminine panties, thongs, pantyhose, bras and garter belts, with a note about whom the felon was and the most likely victims of his crimes. Not long after, he had come across the aforementioned felon on his raid, wearing his usual disguise of a handkerchief tied around his face like his nose was in a sling, carrying his treasure, which was comprised of feminine articles, being chased by the attractive, young and unreasonable women that had been victims of his pilfering and groping.

Being the sole conscientious practitioner of the Arts in the area, Ranma had stepped in and placed a clever trap in the old man's path.

Panties worked nearly all the time as a means of distraction for the old fool, and this was no different. The old pervert halted his flight to stare in moved awe at the revealing article of underwear that was hardly enough strings to cover anything of importance. This resulted in the women catching up with him and beating him within an inch of his life, powered by Righteous Womanly Fury.

Ranma had been doing this every now and again for the past few months, so this could have been the straw that broke the camel's back.

Whatever the cause, Happosai was standing before him, glowing in anger, something that only served to make his injuries stand out more, holding a wand-like stick of gold in one hand, a crumbling scroll in the other, a bucket between them and a black bra on the ground at Happosai's feet. The last was most likely what the old man had intended to put on Ranma once the water had hit him.

"What 'd you want this time, old man?" Ranma asks, playing ignorant, something he had become quite proficient at, but the performance was not enough to fool someone who could read auras.

"YOU STOLE MY PRETTIES! YOU STOMPED ON AN OLD MAN'S INNOCENT PLEASURES! THIS HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH, AND IT IS WELL PAST TIME FOR PUNISHMENT! PREPARE TO FACE YOUR WORST FEARS!"

Ranma was on the verge of growing bored with the whole scene. Every time Happosai had been angry with him in the past after the failed wedding, he had dug out some ancient magical artefact from somewhere and tried to punish him with it. Usually the items didn't react or they blew up in the man's face, so Ranma didn't bother to mount a defence as Happosai unrolled the scroll and aimed the end of the stick at him.

"Give it yer best shot, old man!" Ranma laughed, spreading his arms wide to present a bigger target. "You haven't managed to punish me yet, and you keep comin' back for more!"

However, as soon as the old pervert starts muttering the written incantation, Ranma knew something was different, and his laughter died a horrible death. To make matters worse, he wasn't able to move, no matter how much he willed his body to do so.

Energies started gathering in the immediate area surrounding the two, causing water to boil, grass to burn, and flaring with light that made the world seem white to the outside. The swirling masses of colourful energy funnelled rapidly towards the stick, creating a small cloud of colours to appear at the end of the stick pointed at Ranma. The heat caused the scroll to catch fire and Happosai finished his incantation with an indignant squawk as his sleeves caught fire.

This was obviously not the right thing to do, and the clouds changed colours for a brief instant before shooting at Ranma, hitting him directly in the chest and bathing his form in blinding light. With the spell finished, the wand vanished, and the scroll, which had burnt to ashes by now, was scattered by the cool winds rushing in now that the source of the extreme heat had gone.

Happosai managed to put out his sleeves by submerging them in a barrel of old rainwater that stood conveniently nearby, only to pull his arms back out, howling bloody murder. The water had been boiling already, thanks to the energies gathered by the spell, and already burned hands dipped into something boiling cannot be a pleasant experience no matter who you are.

While Happosai was doing a bizarre dance, bemoaning his bad luck and insolent students, the residents of the immediate area returned from their shelters to witness the amount of destruction that had been caused this time.

Fire engines were heard in the distance, and people were starting to emerge with tubs and buckets of water to cool down the glowing hot ground or put out the burning gardens. Still, the sight of what had happened to Ranma managed to halt more than a few in their tasks.

Where Ranma had been standing now stood a significantly shorter form. (Barely clearing five feet.) A burnt hole the size of a basketball could be seen clearly on the chest of his shirt, a smouldering wound beneath it. But what really drew attention was that the muscles that Ranma had worked for over a decade to earn had been reduced to a third of their former size. Though the definition of muscles were still visible, they no longer seemed as impressive. But this was far from the weirdest part. Covering the entirety of Ranma's body was a thick, but short coat of black fur, and sticking from a torn hole just below the waistline of his pants was a long and slender tail that immediately had wrapped itself around his right leg like a snake. The length of Ranma's hair had vanished, apart from a tuft of hair along his forehead where his hangs had been, making him nearly as bald as a fresh recruit in the army … bar the fur, of course. And peeking from his gaping mouth was a pair of elongated canines, twice the length they are supposed to be.

The women who were watching him started feeling faint, hot and bothered, but not because of the smouldering surroundings.

Even as everyone was watching, the smoking wound on Ranma's chest sealed itself and a fresh patch of fur grew in.

Still feeling unable to move, stunned from the sudden chain of events, Ranma stared at his hands which were now covered in fur, and had thin pads of leathery skin on the palms.

His ears twitched, letting him know that they too had changed. Their shape was now soft triangles only slightly smaller than his collected fingers set in a salute position.

He was well aware of what he now looked like … the gleaming window across the street was kind enough to show him.

He had been afraid of those creatures most of his life.

Their presence could cause him to cringe and cower in fear, and finally snap into a berserker state that could easily be distracted by a ball of yarn or catnip, and could easily think to make a chew-toy out of a fifteen foot shark.

He was a cat.

Yet he was still a man.

He was both and scared, not of himself, but because he no longer felt the incapacitating terror he usually felt whenever he thought or saw a feline of any kind.

The fear was gone … and it scared him stiff.

"I'm an even bigger freak now …"

The words came forward. He wasn't sure if he had spoken them or thought them, but it was true. If he was a freak before when he changed gender what would he be now that he clearly wasn't even human anymore?

Thoughts of having to live in shadows, hiding from the world, eating out of the garbage and freezing to death one winter only to end up as a specimen in some lab, ran unbidden through his head, clouding his awareness of his surroundings, which made it very understandable that he didn't pick up on the arrival of one who could only make matters worse.

"Behold, for the vile sorcerer Saotome has finally revealed his true form before the might of the Blessed House of Kuno!"

Three guesses whom now graced the scene with his presence, and the first two are invalidated due to how obvious the answer is.

"Yes, today is the day that I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder-" Cra-ack Boooom! "-slay the demon, and release the cursed hold on my Fierce Tigress and the Treeborne Kettle Girl so that they might bask in the warmth of my presence, and return the love you deny them to give me freely!"

Kuno reached into his hakama and pulled out a scroll that was in much the same state as Happosai's previous one. He unrolls it regally and with grand, exaggerated gestures.

"I banish thee, foul daemon, to the Hell where your kind truly belongs!" with this declaration, the scroll was thrown at Ranma. While in the air, and without losing momentum or direction, the scroll rolled itself back up.

Ranma managed to catch the scroll out of reflex, and was about to throw it back when the feeling of being pulled into a single spot in his hand overcame him. It felt like he was water being sucked down the drain of a sink.

"This just isn't my day …" he muttered in resignation.

In a colourful flash, Ranma no longer remained.

Kuno gloated as he stared at the empty spot. He had finally destroyed the monster that kept his true loves from leaping into his arms and shower him with their affection.

He was about to share his joy with the world when the people watching overcame their fears of expressing themselves, and ganged up on the two that were the cause of the apparent death of their protector, the one that fought crime in their area, put the clogs in the machinery of Happosai's raids, and held most fights under some measure of control to keep from injuring the innocent.

Shortly after, the other Martial Artists of the area gathered in this place, looking for answers about what had happened, and blamed it all on Ranma.

When Ranma's other rivals discovered what had happened, they immediately started attacking Kuno for robbing _them_ of the honour of killing Ranma, but after fighting for half an hour, realised that this meant that their loves were free of whatever hold Ranma held over them.

The fiancées and suitors of Ranma started blaming each other for Ranma's death, and would have started fighting each other, had their unwanted suitors not arrived under the impression that they were now ready for the taking. Blame was immediately shifted to the rivals of the deceased Ranma, and started what would hence be known as the Beat-down of Righteous Womanly Fury. The rivals of Ranma blamed him for still having the girls under a spell even in death and vowed that they would make his afterlife Hell when they eventually got there. And as luck would have it, they heard each other swearing the same thing, though in different wordings, and started fighting each other for the honour of doing as they vowed.

Should they continue like they were at that time, they would have entered the afterlife much sooner than anticipated.

Saotome Genma, once he heard of his son's apparent death, started bemoaning how much of a weak girl he had been to get killed so easily, then went on to cry about how the Schools would never be joined. Soun Tendo shared in his grief and caused a great deal of water damage to his house from excessive crying.

Saotome Nodoka felt like her world had been ripped apart. Sure she had been formal with her son at best … and given disapproving glances when he stayed in his cursed form for too long … and encouraged him to both peek at and take advantage of as many women as possible because it was "Manly" … and acted like she was seriously considering the Seppuku Contract if her son wasn't manly enough. But all of that was an act! She had to be the perfect wife, never complain about her life, never doubt her husband's decisions even if told otherwise and even sacrifice her best years alone because her husband wanted her only child to be raised differently than she was able to. Kami-Sama knows she had done her best to keep track of them, she even tried to coincidentally bump into them now and again, but Genma always managed to get away before she got there. And when she finally met up with her son again, she wasn't able to express her true feelings on the matter because of her duties as a traditional Japanese wife.

Now it was too late. Her son was gone. She was in shock for days before her emotions pushed through the thick wall she had erected around them over the years, sending her into a fit of tears, which drove her into the only sympathetic arms she could find, namely those of Tendo Kasumi. The two cried for the longest of times, and when they calmed down some, they shared stories they had of Ranma's crazy life. After a week of mourning the two went on with their lives, but a little seed of hope had been planted by the retelling of Ranma's previous adventures … maybe Ranma wasn't dead … maybe the rumours had been exaggerated, and at any moment Ranma would return to them as cocky as ever without a scratch on him, like so many times before.

Another week went by before Nodoka received word from the courts, informing her of the charges filed against her husband. She could take no more, and filed for divorce, family honour be damned! She could not remain related to that fat oaf any more! She moved out of the Saotome home and into an apartment in another part of Tokyo, where only Kasumi was allowed to visit.

Cologne, however, one of the Matriarchs of the Juketuzoku Amazon tribe did not look as upset about the news as others. She mulled the information over, felt the energies of the scene of the biggest event of Nerima, and started contacting her fellow Matriarchs. It might be time to resume contact with the _rest_ of the Amazons …

* * *

Mere days after the disappearance of their protector, the inhabitants of Nerima started taking affairs into their own hands, walking the streets in groups to patrol the area, and each group having radio contact with the police to report on any crimes going on or to report when they had made a civilian's arrest. Nerima soon became one of the best kept areas of Japan, a place where everyone were friends with everyone, and if any crime ever happened, pity be to the criminal, because the wrath of the citizens would be short and accurate.

Needless to say, the Yakuza never saw any reason to establish a foothold there, as they wouldn't be able to do any business with all the concerned and selfless citizens living there, acting as vigilantes with government backing.

* * *

Meanwhile in some dark, unknown corner of the world, a woman sat upright in shock as a vision assaulted her. A werecat had entered the picture, and he held such power that their Clan could be in danger. He would have to be taken care of.

The wererat Seer was about to get up when the vision returned to her, supplementing the information she already had.

The werecat was the only one of his kind … he held power and skill unmatched, and would not be easy to bring down. His location was undetermined, but when he did reveal himself he was going to get a reception the likes of which the wererats gave Iceron in parting.


	2. Chapter 2

(Re-Posted January 11 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

-Groan-

Ranma was not what one can call a morning person. Not by a long shot.

Sure, he was normally up at the wee hours of the morning every day for as long as he could remember, and maybe even longer, but rarely on his own volition. The main reason was that if he didn't immediately shake off the effects of wonderful, blissful sleep, he would get pounded by his father who would then complain about how much of a weak girl he had become after being allowed the privilege of sleep.

Slowly elevating his torso onto his elbows, Ranma rubbed the crust from his eyes, contemplating the dream he had just had, and wondered why his fool of a father had let him sleep in for once.

He had changed into a cat-man, a short one at that, with a tail, without his pigtail and without most of his hair. But he had been covered in black fur.

It had seemed so real.

His hand absently rubbed his chest where the spell had struck him in this dream, and his sleep-disillusioned world came crumbling down about his triangular ears.

There was fur on his chest … and there was a big hole in his shirt! Kasumi would not be pleased … she had given him this shirt for his birthday a little over a week ago. And judging by the burnt edges, it was not possible to salvage it.

"Damn," muttered Ranma flatly. "I really liked that shirt …"

There was nothing to be done about it, so there wasn't any reason to get upset. Things had a way of balancing things out, one way or another.

* * *

In Nerima, a small, broken, dirty and bruised form crawled along the gutter.

Happosai had never been on the receiving end of such a beating.

Sure, he had inflicted similar damage in his fights, but never gotten beaten this bad himself. Even with his extreme healing ability, a result of over two centuries of being a top calibre Martial Artist, was not cutting it. If he didn't receive medical attention soon, he might be crippled for life.

Happosai spotted an emergency telephone on a telephone pole not more than a few steps away, and his eyes lit up in hope of relief from the agony of a punctured lung, a splintered femur, concussion, a broken clavicle and the loss of a few good teeth.

He dragged himself towards the telephone, and was nearly within reach when a motorised street sweeper appeared out of nowhere and washed him down an open manhole into the sewers.

The scream of despair was drowned out by the loud engine of the sweeper.

The operator of this machine was coincidentally thinking about complaining to his supervisor about the possibility of reduced hearing from all this noise.

Sigh.

The owners would most likely only give him a set of headphones connected to a radio instead of getting the engine overhauled … and when would people stop throwing garbage on the streets? That big broken teddy bear was lucky to fit into the manhole … had it been any bigger, he'd have to get out and stuff it down by hand!

* * *

Elsewhere in Nerima, Tatewaki Kuno, strapped to a hospital bed under heavy police supervision, broke his last healthy bone, the outer bone of his pinkie finger, in an attempt to call for assistance in using the facilities. A loud scream was the result, causing quite a few stitches to be ripped open.

The Head doctor of the hospital sighed in resignation. The rich, spoiled boy had been in here a few times in the past few years, but never as serious as this.

It almost made him regret losing his temper for a moment after hearing about Ranma's death and forget to give the brat any pain relievers for the painful procedure of setting all his bones and stitching him up … almost.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ranma was finishing his examination of his new body.

He was shorter.

He was part cat.

He had longer canines, which was a strange term for something a feline possesses, and believed his speech might be hindered somewhat by it. After he spoke a few test sentences, he discovered that this was not so … they didn't affect anything by what he could tell.

The pads on his hands and feet robbed him of some degree of sensitivity, but that didn't bother him much. The fingernails seemed normal enough, until he had tensed some new muscles he had felt in his fingers. This had caused the fingernails to shoot out over an inch from the tip of his fingers, and sharpened into claws.

His ears could rotate ninety degrees from his head, unless he got upset about something, in which case they would rotate nearly a hundred and eighty degrees and flatten against his head.

Sticking out of a tear in his pants just below the waistline of his behind was a tail slightly longer than his legs. At first he thought it would get in his way, but some testing showed that he had as much control of it as an elephant has over its trunk, and he opted to curl it about his waist like a furry, fat belt.

A few practice kata revealed that nothing of his strength had disappeared with this transformation despite the slimmer build. Rather the opposite. He felt stronger, more flexible and faster. But if he wanted to look stronger again, he would have to eat more, and train harder. Not that he really felt he needed to, but he had been somewhat proud that his exposed torso drew more than a few stares … growing up with Genma meant so very little positive attention, so he savoured it where he got it.

His bones, from what he could feel, seemed much more resilient than before.

But this was not the time to lose oneself in to ones thoughts. He was in a strange place and needed to figure out where he was and how to get back. The old ghoul was bound to know something that might change him back … but there might be a price … one he was not willing to pay … his freedom.

Taking in his surroundings, Ranma found that he was in a stone chamber, lit by burning torches. He felt like he was in a dungeon of some kind, but the markings on the walls reminded him of the hieroglyphs he had seen in school books … how on earth did he end up in a pyramid?

Behind him was a very tall set of double doors made out of heavy stone, leading to a corridor.

Not wanting to remain cooped up in here, Ranma exited the chamber to explore.

* * *

Elsewhere in the same structure, six supernatural and evil entities were sitting around a fire that was powered by one of their number.

These infamous, evil villains imprisoned by the Dragon Orb, released briefly by a treasure hunter then recaptured by the Dragon Pharaoh with the power of the Dragon Orb. At least, these were some of those villains …

Fuelling the fire was Salamander, a burning skeleton of a man wearing armour.

-Phhhht!-

"Hey!" cried Salamander indignantly, "Stop trying to blow out my flame!"

Teasingly trying to blow out Salamander's fire was Shadow Reaver. Half man, half goat, strong, big, and a complete coward.

Snickering- er –laughing in a manly tone at the antics of the two was Maelstrom, a powerfully built man in need of a nose, who wore a helmet with bulls' horns at the sides. He was the sneaky one.

Rolling their eyes at the stupidity of the assembled men were Sith and Malis, the only females of the group.

Sith looked very much like an Egyptian Queen, complete with serpent on her head dress, and spoke with a pronounced lisp- er –_hiss_.

Malis looked like a bowman out of Robin Hood that had been burned on only one half of her body, the left … it made her look somewhat like the sister of a certain Gotham lawyer gone bad.

These two were sexually repressed as well. Sith would not touch any of the men in this place with a hundred foot snake. Malis was willing, but her appearance turned the men away. And it had been eons since they last had _gotten any_. One could therefore excuse them for having a tendency for snapping at people.

Sitting patiently by himself a few steps away from the group was Behemoth. A large muscular man of stone, and the man barely had any face to speak of. He only had the definition of cheek-bones, brows and eyes. The rest was a rocky mass.

"When will you men grow up?" snapped Sith. "You know we can't hurt each other becaussse of that ssstupid Dragon Orb'sss hold on usss! Ssshadow Reaver, ssstop trying to blow out Sssalamander'sss fire, it isss getting annoying!"

"But there's nothing else to do!" whinged Shadow Reaver and sulked silently to himself with both women glaring at him.

"I know what we can do for fun!" exclaimed Maelstrom.

"NO!" yelled the women in answer, already knowing what the man would suggest, him having suggested it a million times since they were let out of their chambers a few months ago. Malis only responded out of spite. The last time she had offered herself up, the men had almost literally run for it in horror.

"C'mon! It's been eons since I've been with a woman!"

"NO!"

"C'mon!"

"NO!"

"I wouldn't mind a bit!" responded Shadow Reaver, only to be silenced by yet another glare. "Fine, I'll go for a walk, then …"

Shadow Reaver got to his feet and left the circle.

"Ruin all my fun, will you," he grumbled to himself as he moved down the corridor.

-Sniff!-

"What's that smell?"

-Sniff!-Sniff!-

"It seems very familiar … a bit catty … almost makes me think of that insane-"

Shadow Reaver's already protruding eyes widened in fearful realisation.

"CAT!" he screamed, and turned tail back for the others.

* * *

Ranma was still exploring the seemingly endless number of corridors when he heard someone scream out "CAT!" much like he would have done not too long ago if faced with one of them.

Curious, Ranma followed the direction he meant the sound came from, as sound easily bounced off these walls and confused the senses.

If there were people here then he might be able to get back sooner!

* * *

Meanwhile, Shadow Reaver had reached his comrades … or rather, stumbled over Behemoth and crashed over Salamander who along with him rolled over the two women.

This brought on a great deal of assumptions of perversion, but was quickly drowned out by Shadow Reaver's cries of "CAT! THERE'S A CAT HERE!"

Immediately, the others were on their feet, alert and peering around the corner Shadow Reaver had come sprinting from, one leaning in over the other to see if that crazy mortal cat-lady had come back with those strange and terrifying weapons.

* * *

Ranma walked down the hall, and noticed six individuals standing at the corner and was peering around it, much like the nephews of the cartoon character Donald Duck would when looking for any authority figures out to catch them in the act of something.

Curious, Ranma approached them, and tapped the stone man on the back.

"What are you looking at?" he asked, placing himself to peer around the corner as well.

"Shadow Reaver smelled a cat a moment ago, and we want to know if that crazy b#& cat-woman with those blasted weapons has returned," the stony man answered in a voice that sounded like gravel being ground together. The man didn't even look at him, not daring to remove his eyes from the corridor the group was searching for signs of movement.

"Oh?" asked Ranma, perking up at the news that there was someone else out there that was part cat … apart from Shampoo. "What does this cat-woman look like?"

"Somewhere between six and seven feet tall, long blonde hair with spots, cats' ears, a black stripe over one eye, and an admittedly _sweet bod_," the burning man answered mechanically, also not daring to remove his concentration from where it was focused from the second highest position in the totem of bodies.

"What kind of weapons?" asked Ranma, wondering what kind of weapons would scare these people, and since they seemed to want to answer his questions, well, that just suited him fine.

"The kind that erupts in flames and the kind that stings like a hive of angry bees," answered the one with bulls' horns on his helmet.

"Yesss," agreed the woman with the strange head dress. "Ssshe hasss been here two timesss already, and each time we have been badly injured."

"WAIT!" screamed the one with a goat's head in panic. "THE SMELL IS CLOSER! I CAN SMELL IT!"

The others whimpered in fear of future pain, and Ranma was genuinely worried for them.

"RUN FOR IT!" screamed the woman who looked like a bad burn victim.

The others agreed that this was the best idea, and footed it in the opposite direction, sweeping Ranma with them unintentionally.

"IT'S FOLLOWING US! FASTER!" screamed the goat man and increased the tempo, which caused the others to speed up as well so they wouldn't end up as fodder for the nefarious designs of the maniacal cat-woman.

Ranma came to the conclusion that this woman must be very dangerous if these people were this frightened of her, so Ranma kept up with them without difficulty, deciding to keep these people safe from what sounded like a mad bomber and gun-nut in one.

"IN HERE!" screamed the lisping woman as they reached a certain spot. "SSSHE WILL NEVER FIND USSS IN HERE!"

The seven of them piled into the small and dark room with a crack only big enough to peek out of, and closed the door.

For a full minute, everyone tried to calm down from the panic, and nothing but panting was heard.

"Has it gone?" asked the stone man.

"I can't tell," answered the lisping woman who had her eye pressed up against the crack.

"The smell followed us all the way!" whimpered the goat man.

"Can you see anything?" asked the man with the horned helmet.

"I already sssaid no!" snapped the lisping woman. "Maybe we lossst it?"

"We can't have! That thing was right on our tails!" whimpered the goat man, slowly slipping back into panic.

"EEEEK! PERVERT!" -Slap!-

"What?"

"You squeezed my-"

"Hey, who's the new guy?" asked the burned woman, cutting off the lisping woman from letting everyone know what had been squeezed.

Nervous silence filled the room.

"WHAAAAAAH!"

The joint terrified shriek of all six evil supernatural entities would have been amusing to most people, but they do not have enhanced hearing, and they are not standing right in the middle of the explosion of sound.

Ranma clapped his hands over his ears in an effort to ward off the ringing that suddenly started in them.

Salamander's fears caused his flames to flare up, allowing everyone to see the small creature that had them running scared.

Roaring laughter quickly filled the small room instead of terrified screams.

"I can't believe we were afraid- er –nervous- er –cautious about this, this, this _tiny_ thing!" snorted the burned woman, pointing her normal delicate finger at him.

Ranma was once more forced to clap his hands over his ears to ward off the noise.

"He, he couldn't even beat up a mouse!" snickered the goat man.

This ridicule went on for a while before Ranma started getting annoyed. Sure, he could understand their doubts about his strength, but this was not funny anymore.

Without being consciously aware of it, Ranma let out a warning yowl of a surprisingly deep tone for such a small cat.

"Ooooh, the kitty is getting angry!" laughed Maelstrom. "What are you going to do, kitty? Scratch us with your tiny claws?"

* * *

Fifteen brutal minutes later, Ranma emerged from the room, dusting himself off and purring in satisfaction.

Maybe there was some _fish_ he could eat around here …

* * *

Inside the room the six evil, supernatural beings were writhing on the ground.

While they had all received a thorough beating, small additional insults had been added.

Shadow Reaver had lost his left horn, and could barely see out of the left eye as it was swelled shut.

Maelstrol had lost both of his horns, and was piled under Shadow Reaver in a rather compromising position.

Salamander was barely smouldering, and his once proud armour was now a dented, bent and sorry sight, nearly beyond recognition.

Behemoth was little more than a pile of gravel with a misshapen head on top. A curly moustache was etched into his face where his upper lip would have been if he had a mouth. A monocle was similarly etched around the right eye.

All the men were thankfully unconscious from the beating.

The women on the other hand, had gotten a more surprising addition to their physical punishment, and were very much awake.

"He really took charge, didn't he?" sighed Malis, wiggling from the slight discomfort of her nether regions that was caused from disuse suddenly, without preparation, being used roughly.

"Yesss," agreed Sith. "He wasss ssso MANLY! Even if his body was small …"

"I just wish it had been him and not Shadow Reaver's horn …"

"Yesss, but you were the lucky one, only getting one, I got two and he didn't give me time to prepare for it or even enjoy it, and then it wasssn't moving any more …"

"He could have given us some more attention …" agreed Malis.

"Well, it wasss sssupposssed to be punissshment … ssstill …"

-Snort!-

"Men," commented Malis. "They think only of their own agenda and not about us and our needs!" she finished in a rising angered tone.-

-Sigh-

"Another couple of eons before the next time, I guess …"

There was a moment of silence, apart from the whimpering and painful moaning from the men, where the two women looked at each other, similar thoughts running through their sex-deprived minds.

"We ssstill have our chambersss, you know …"

"Your chamber or mine?"

* * *

Ranma wandered the corridors in search of any _pleasant_ people, he no longer liked the ones he had just met.

On his way he encountered a few other beings, but they had run as soon as they saw him, apparently being more cowardly towards outsiders than the initial six Ranma had met. Perhaps it had something to do with the gun-crazy cat-woman the mean people had mentioned …

After nearly an hour of aimless wandering, Ranma stumbled into a chamber where a pedestal was placed in the centre. Sticking out of this pedestal was a pair of tongs that held a pearly white crystal ball between them.

Ranma idly wondered why someone would place this here, and why none of the evil creatures in this place had stolen it yet. He reached to pick it up to further examine it.

Don't! a disembodied voice called out.

Ranma looked around the chamber and saw no one.

"Who's there?" he asked, weary of any attack.

Me, the Dragon Orb! the voice called. Don't move me, or every evil supernatural entity within this tower will be set loose on the world! 

"You're this little ball?" asked Ranma curiously and bent closer to examine it.

Yes, and I believe you don't really belong here, am I right? asked the Orb. Of course I am, and you must be another werecreature … why do they keep finding a way into my tower? 

"Search me," replied Ranma. "What's a werecreature? Is it like a werewolf?"

Yes, of course! snapped the Orb. Now, if you'd excuse me, I think it is time I sent you back where you belong, and DON'T COME BACK! 

" Oka-" Shing!

With only a slight crystal-like sound and a flash of light, Ranma was gone.

And I thought it would be safe to hide on Mars … silly me! muttered the Dragon Orb to itself. Three near catastrophic incidents in the same eon is too much! I need to find a better hiding place … hmmm … I wonder how well I can hide on Jupiter … 

* * *

Somewhere unknown, the wererat seer receives a location to go with her vision of the next threat … Jade.

The wererat seer nearly sighs as she sees the werecat digging himself out of a dune of sand that had a light covering of dry grass, muttering about stupid old perverts that change him into some werecreature, stupid kendoists that send him to a prison tower for evil supernatural beings with poor people skills, stupid Orbs sending him to the wrong place in the world, stupid sand for settling the wrong way in his fur, and stupid fur for being black under the scorching desert sun.

She was not impressed with this development, but nonetheless informed Gothwrain about it.

* * *

Credits; "What are you going to do, kitty? Scratch us with your tiny claws?" This line is borrowed and modified from one of Magneto's lines in X-Men 2, where they are preparing the assault on the hidden Weapon X lab, and was directed at Wolverine. 


	3. Chapter 3

(Re-Posted January 11 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

Sheila of the Edge Guard was having a frustrating day.

First of all, as normal, Tirga had spent most of the morning trying to convince her that jumping in the sack with him at the soonest convenient time was the best solution to everything. That man really needed to think with the head on his shoulders and not the lower one.

Second of all, a caravan entered town with a beaten and bound group of bandits that had been notorious through out Seer's Desert for the past year. They had always managed to locate the next caravan carrying anything of value and avoided the decoys or traps, meaning they had an insider within the Trading Guild, which was the union of Merchants in Seer's Hamlet. If this was true, then trade with the outside world was in serious jeopardy, and they would have to hire more guards to escort the caravans headed for or from Seer's Hamlet, and this was something that would elevate prices to avoid losing money instead of gaining them.

Thirdly, none of the Merchants on the caravan had anything to do with the capture apart from being witnesses. Apparently, a werecat had appeared and taken care of the bandits.

Fourthly, this mystery werecat didn't follow the caravan, so they had no hero to publicly thank for this capture or question about his affiliation with the bandits. For all they knew, this werecat worked alongside the bandits and was trying to lure the people in by posing as a hero.

This was why each of the Merchants and passengers had been separated for questioning.

This was where Sheila currently was, and she was not happy for that exact reason … and she had female issues that she was unable to do anything about because of her duty to the town and lack of supplies because her idiot brother forgot to get them when he was out yesterday.

She repressed an annoyed yowl.

"OK, let me get this straight," sighed Sheila tiredly, already having gone over this a dozen times already with other female traders or passengers of the traders. Sheila was handed the responsibility for the women because Tirga could not be trusted to keep his hands off them, Gar had already chosen to examine the caravan for clues, Thropan had been told to take care of the bandits, Onoli had taken the paperwork and Tirga was told to interrogate the men. "You were attacked by the Bandits of the Sand, who had jumped out of the sand and surrounded your caravan when you least expected it, right?"

"Right," agreed the female elf enthusiastically … almost like a child hearing a favourite bedtime story and realising that an exciting part was fast approaching.

"And all your able-bodied men tried to defend the caravan, women and children, right? But they were disposed of either lethally or otherwise very quickly, right?"

"Right!" by now, the elf was close to bouncing in her seat from contained excitement.

"The bandits were looting the carriages, standing guard for the errant patrol and slowly approaching the women of your group for another spoil of battle, right?"

"Right!"

"There seemed to be no way around it but allowing it to happen and just get it over with, right?"

The elf woman nodded vigorously.

"But then-"

"The one advancing on me fell over with a loud yell, while clutching his family jewels!" interrupted the elf woman enthusiastically, apparently eager to tell this part herself. "Everyone stopped what they were doing to see what was wrong, and they found a short male werepanther, or something, standing there with his leg extended to where the bandit was hit!

"I'm not really sure if he was a werepanther, though … I mean, his fur was black, and he almost looked like he could be the little brother of that handsome Edge Guard you have here, but his canines were too long! I mean, it was like he had vampire blood in him, but he was out in broad daylight in the middle of a desert with no chance of shade unless he made it himself! And he was wearing very baggy pants, and a red shirt of very fine material around his waist, though it looked burnt, like he had put out a fire with it. On his feet were slippers! Slippers! In the middle of a desert! Even trolls wear footwear thicker than that in the wild!

"That poor thing! He must be very poor to not afford better footwear! We need to go out and help him!"

"Could we please return to the subject," interrupted Sheila tiredly, having had this reaction from many other of the females of childbearing age from this caravan. What was _wrong_ with them?

"Oh, sorry," apologised the elf, blushing from having gone off the track. "Anyway, the hunk- er –werecat had barely lowered his leg before three others rushed at him to get revenge for their fallen friend. It was like he wasn't even there!"

"An illusion?" asked Sheila. "Was he a mage?"

"He must have been, but he wasn't wearing a mage suit, maybe a War Mage, but that wasn't what I meant!" commented the elf in embarrassed frustration. "He was so fast, it looked like he wasn't there, but the three were falling over each other so fast that he must have been doing something! One of the bandits was even sent flying and crashed into the ground on the other end of the caravan which was a good three hundred feet away!"

"Well, if he is a War Mage, then we can only assume he has some power behind him," commented Sheila.

"But that's just it! We didn't hear anything from him! Not a word!"

"There are a few spells that can be cast without incantation," Sheila informed the woman.

"But not for this! He must have thrown the bandit that length himself, without any magic boost!" the woman started acting frantic, as she tried to make herself understood. "And our own aura mage said that he didn't feel the werecat draw on the Ethereal stream!"

"Artefacts, then," reasoned Sheila.

"He only had on him slippers and pants! Where would he hide any artefacts?"

"Tattoos of power would not be visible if his fur was black," Sheila was grasping for straws and she knew it, but it was the only logical solution for a skinny, small werecat to do the things every woman so far had described to her. To cover for herself and prevent any argument, she moved on. "Please continue with the events."

"Right," agreed the woman. "After he had thrown that bandit, he grabbed the arm of the one that tried punching him while his back was turned, and used him as a bat to hit the third with! And he didn't show any strain! I mean, that bandit was huge! He must have had some troll or giant blood in him, and that werecat swung him around like he was nothing!"

"Ahem!"

"Sorry," apologised the woman in another blush. "By now, the rest of the bandits had heard and seen the results of this fight, and started crowding in. There were a few mages among them, and they kept their distance while the more _physical_ bandits rushed in one by one to wear the werecat down. That poor bandit really got a beating against his own gang, being used as a shield and bat like that …

"When it looked like all the bandits were ending their assault, their mages powered up at once and started sending spell after spell at the werecat, but none of them hit! He jumped and weaved, ducked and rolled, and avoided every spell the four mages threw at him! Even when they did it at the same time! Several times the spells crashed into each other and blew up, but the werecat was unharmed! Sand was fusing together from the heat and he walked away without a scratch!"

"Maybe he is an element user?" pondered Sheila, jotting down the occasional words. It had been a long day. "Please continue."

"OK, where did I leave off … ah, yes, by now the leader of the bandits had had about enough, and drew his sword just before he charged in, waving the huge thing around like a madman, and archers were notching their arrows, waiting for when their leader was clear."

"And then the werecat was shot, right?"

"YES! But he still managed to avoid every other arrow in the volley, and the following, and was still able to dodge the sword when the bandit leader came in between volleys!"

"And he managed to single-handedly beat up the boss, and disable the archers by breaking their fingers, while simultaneously knocking their mages unconscious …" recited Sheila, rubbing her temples in an attempt to ward off the headache that was slowly welling up just above her eyes. This was what the other women had said, nearly word for word. It seemed impossible for a werecat to do all of that at once, so there must have either been more people present than accounted for helping out or the werecat was as fast as a werecheetah in a Lunar Rave. It would have been nice to be able to ask the bandits to talk, but they were either in too much pain, had fainted or remained unconscious. "Is there anything we _haven't_ been told already?"

"Not that I … WAIT! One of our weretigresses had changed from human form to hybrid form in front of him in an attempt to seduce him!" the elf woman yelled. "And he hardly batted an eye! He watched the change and demanded to know how she had done that! I mean, that woman was stacked, built and hardly dressed … and he only wanted to know how she changed!"

"Why would he ask that?" wondered Sheila, feeling this would have to be the last woman she interrogated before calling it a day … this headache was going to be very distracting from her duty. "Had he tried to set up some barrier to prevent werecreature transformation?"

"It seemed more like he didn't know how to change," it seemed that Sheila's pain was getting visible. The elf woman had been sympathetic. "But the way he took charge and won was so MANLY!"

"Is there any female on that caravan that _hasn't_ fallen for him?" Sheila asked the heavens. And what was this consistent use of the word "Manly" that every one of the women had used?

"Only those girls that were as young as eight winters … but even they thought he was handsome."

"Well, thank you for your help," responded Sheila and opened the door. "Be sure to have a good day."

"I will, thank you!" chirped the bouncy woman and left the room with a dazed look in her eyes and a slight wiggle in her walk that couldn't help but draw stares from anything vaguely attracted to females.

Sheila sighed and exited the spare room she had managed to borrow from Nali. They really needed to get better Headquarters … one with rooms made for this kind of thing. Maybe Nali could spare something for her headache … and something to help her feel less bloated …

* * *

"So, Tirga, what did you get for appearances?" asked Onoli. The werelion was understandably worn out after having regular duties piled on top of the arrest of the Bandits of the Sand and the paperwork for the interrogations, arrests and search.

"Very flattering comments, thank you," answered the weretiger, who then went on to striking a pose, demonstrating what his answer meant. According to himself, this was what brought the chicks to his bed to add to the notches on his bedpost. In his own _humble_ opinion, those notches were numbering so many that the bed was starting to be unsound in stability.

"I meant the description of the mysterious werecat," corrected Onoli in a sigh. That man was just difficult at times.

"Well," Tirga was of course slightly embarrassed. "One of the women had some artistic talent, and was kind enough to draw us a portrait … please excuse the lack of clothing, she said she couldn't really remember what he was wearing … though it begs to question why he has a second tail … and why she added a scantily clad self portrait clinging to his leg."

Tirga handed the charcoal rendering to his superior officer. Onoli refrained from asking why Tirga had had any contact with the women, but knew he wouldn't like the answer, so he ignored it.

"Looks like a runt to me," added Tirga as Onoli studied the drawing.

"It could be," agreed the werelion. "Or, if we are to judge from the statements the witnesses gave us it might be a birth defect, much like our fellow Edge Guard, Sheila …"

"Still looks like he couldn't bat away a feather, let alone a fully grown man," snorted Tirga. "Are you sure this was the guy that was supposed to have beaten all those bandits? Could the women just have made up this wimp because they couldn't really see what happened?"

"He looks almost like Thropan," commented Onoli offhand.

-SLAM!-

"I've had it!" Sheila was, as stated earlier, not having a good day, and it had not gotten better since the last interrogation. Nali was out of headache cures and there was nothing in the healer's clinic to make her feel less bloated or keep blood from staining her clothes. Combined with her irritation over having heard dozens of women drool over some stud for hours, she was a powder keg waiting for someone to light a match before blowing up.

"Hey, sweet cheeks!" greeted Tirga as the irate werejaguar with a birth defect stomped into the headquarters.

-KAPOWIE!-

And there sailed Tirga across the room for ticking off said irate jagwere, a blackening eye shining bright on his face. Only a bit of irritation was relieved, a lot still remained.

Onoli winced in sympathy, but also sighed in resignation. That man never learned.

"I've had enough of this case!" screamed Sheila, her face no more than half a foot from Onoli's, and the force was enough to blow the long and thick hair in the opposite direction of said irate female. "If I ever see that jerk werecat, I'll pull his manhood off and feed it to him! _Then_ we'll see what those floosies want to do with him!"

-Rustle-

Sheila looked down to see that she was standing on a piece of paper with something other than writing on it.

Curious, she bent down and picked it up. After she smoothed out the paper, she studied the drawing.

"Did one of Thropan's admirers send him another drawing?" she asked, squinting and looking closer at it. "Why is he so small compared to her? And why is there a snake sticking out of his groin?"

"That is not Thropan," corrected Onoli, slowly edging his way for the door. "It is our mysterious werecat, and it is not a snake, it is an artist's rendering of his _equipment_ … I assume she has exaggerated a great deal …"

With that said, Onoli, the brave and peaceful leader of the Seer's Hamlet Edge Guard ran as fast as he could, to get away from ground zero of the explosion that was about to occur.

Unknowing of the danger, Gar, the brother of the currently bug-eyed jagwere, entered the room.

"Hey sis," he greeted jovially. "Gotten a crush on that werecat, like all the other women, yet?"

Even Tirga, who by now had regained consciousness and had committed more atrocities towards women than Casanova, though not with as positive results, knew it was a bad idea to say this.

Light seemed to vanish and the world looked like a photo negative, and Sheila turned slowly to face her older brother.

Gar gulped as an aura of absolute anger surrounded his sister, and those scowling eyes fastened on him, the one who forgot to get the products that might have made her day somewhat more bearable.

"Mercy," whimpered Gar in a squeaky voice.

-ULTRA-MEGA-KAPOWIE!!!!-

* * *

Meanwhile, in the middle of Seer's Desert, a certain werecat was sitting in a shelter made of scrap from the caravan. It was unfortunate that not all the carriages escaped the explosions of magic, but it allowed Ranma a place to sleep and rest out of the way of the elements.

He had pulled out the arrow from his shoulder, and it had healed very fast, leaving only a slightly tender spot where the gaping wound had been. He kept the arrow head, though. He might need the scrap metal some time, and it would be easy to smelt into some other form. He was still recovering from his escape, though. Those women were worse than a dozen of Shampoo chasing after him … why were women generally so enthusiastic about him? Why had that one woman stuck her hand down his pants? Why did she have to grab-? He didn't want to know and had ran off. When he came back an hour later, the caravan was gone and the broken parts were left behind. The kind of contact those women had given him always left him feeling strained and uncomfortable, so he avoided it if he could … at least he hadn't been female, or the contact would have had a different uncomfortable reaction that he had learned had to do with procreation. It must not be important, after all, his pops only did it once to get him, and hadn't seen his wife for over ten years, and neither parent seemed to wish to repeat this activity. Mr Tendo had been without a wife nearly as long as Genma had been away from his own, and _he_ wasn't out looking for another one to do stuff like that with. How good or fun could it be if that was the case? The guys in school must have been exaggerating in their stories of how it must be like.

Ranma was currently doing what he does best. He was recalling something that happened and he wanted to learn, and tried to figure out how to do it. In this case, he was recalling the weretigress' transformation to hybrid form and then full form when she demonstrated how it was done. He wanted to become human again, and if that woman could change shapes, then why not him?

He concentrated on trying to rearrange his energy flows like he had seen the woman do, but he was having trouble doing it. The woman had mentioned something about the moon being partly responsible for the change, and each change only being possible once a day … maybe he had to wait until the next full moon … before he could start changing, after all, the werewolves of movies could only change on nights of a full moon so it made sense that a new werecreature would have to wait until then before being able to change.

"Oh well, I guess I have to wait …" sighed Ranma. "But in the meantime, I could try those techniques those bandit people were trying to get me with!"

* * *

In Nerima, Nabiki was having a little bit of a problem.

It had only been three days and she had already run out of photographs of Ranma and Ranko, and there was no chance of getting any more.

To make matters worse, the money generated by Ranma's fights and stupidities were trickling down to nothing. The fiancées that didn't live here before Ranma's arrival were packing up their things and getting ready to leave, taking with them the rivals for them and the money they would have used to buy information for. The Amazons had been the first to leave, and Ukyo didn't wait much longer before closing up her restaurant and left as well.

Even if the aptly named "Hentai Horde" had been reinstated by the ever insane Tatewaki Kuno, the income would not be enough to make up for the loss Ranma's absence created. Of course, Kuno was still in the hospital and in severe pain, though still recuperating. It was through his underlings in the Kendo Club that the order of reinstatement had been sent.

This meant that Nabiki had to return to her original solution of selling pictures of her baby sister and setting the betting pools up around _her_ fights. But the problems with this were as follows; firstly, Akane was hardly as attractive as Ranko had been, and if she was it only appealed to a few who would not pay the inflated prices Nabiki had to put on them to break even with the loss of Ranko's pictures. Secondly, after witnessing Ranma's fights, the scuffles Akane went through on her own held very little appeal, so very few bothered to watch them, let alone bet on them. Thirdly, the parents of the members of the Hentai Horde were starting to demand the Tendo family pay the medical bills from the beatings Akane gave their boys every morning, which was becoming a very large sum. Akane had been asked to stop beating the boys badly enough to warrant a visit even to the school nurse, but the requests had been ignored and the next day the boys were injured even worse. Fourthly, Genma was not doing anything but eating, drinking and sleeping, which meant he ate enough to feed ten people at each serving, drank enough sake for twenty men, and did nothing to try and help the household. And lastly, Nodoka had refused to accept responsibility for her husband's sloth.

"If he's being a burden, you may kick him out, but I will not pay for my husband's sloth under your hospitality," she had declared regally before hanging up the telephone.

Mr Tendo was not about to kick his best friend out of his house, and he was a guest so he was not obligated to do anything to supplement the income. He told Nabiki she would have to find a way around it. Apparently, he was under the impression that his income from being a member of the City Council would cover everything, but the truth of the matter was that his entire income had been used to pay off the house and property, as well as life and health insurance for the family.

This meant that money was pouring out of the house without much of any came in. The money in the Tendo bank account was rapidly dwindling away. They were heading into the red, and with the state her father and Genma were in, they would not stop their drinking binges any time soon, nor be able to do any work. The Tendo family was now a sinking ship, and it was time for the crew to abandon it and leave the captain to go down with it.

Nodoka accepted taking in Nabiki and Kasumi as boarders at the Saotome home, for a generously low monthly rent, and arranged for Nabiki to get a job interview with a public relations firm. She would not accept Akane because of the mess the collected fiancées made of the Saotome home the last time they were there. The second reason was that Akane's cooking experiments usually caused some serious damage, and Nodoka was not willing to pay for new pots, pans and other kitchen utensils every time the girl tried to cook. Kasumi was reluctant about leaving her father and Akane behind, but could not argue with Nodoka's reasons, nor could she argue with Nabiki when she said that it was because of them that the family would have to be declared bankrupt in less than two months, with their uncontrolled spending on alcohol, materials that were destroyed nearly as soon as it was inside the door, food that barely got prepared before it was consumed, and now hospital bills from irate parents.

Nabiki was packing the last of her things, as was Kasumi.

It was hard to part with the only home they had ever lived in, but it had to be done, or they would have to resort to something desperate, like selling their bodies on the street to make ends meet. They had heard horror stories about the lives of prostitutes, and were not about to let that happen to them. Nabiki had little doubt in her mind that their father would not hesitate in forcing his two eldest into that life to keep a roof over his head and food in front of his youngest daughter, the apple of his eye and the heir to his school. More likely, Genma would be able to persuade him into making his daughters do this so he didn't have to, and so he didn't have to move back in with his wife.

This was the reason Nabiki had convinced Kasumi that they needed to move away, before this scenario was a possibility. Nodoka had been very understanding, and had accepted them on the condition that they don't destroy the house, they clean up after themselves, and show up promptly at scheduled meals unless informed otherwise or notification of anything else at least one meal in advance.

Nabiki clicked shut the suitcase she had been packing, and signalled for the movers to start moving the packed articles to the small truck she had rented, and noticed that Kasumi had done so as well.

Well, it was time to say goodbye to her first home …

* * *

In a dark corner of the world, Lord Gothwrain was having a meeting with three of his subordinates.

Lydia, Moisha and Romeo, three somewhat bumbling wererat assassin initiates, who still required a great deal of training before they had mastered their appointed trade, were trembling before their master, kneeling and hoping they didn't have to be exposed to more silver blades or the Death Glare of a certain werecheetah.

"You are probably wondering why I have brought you here before me …" the ancient wererat mage started in a rasping voice.

A whimper from one of the three was the only reply. They seemed to be under the impression that this was a disciplinary visit … interesting, he would have to look into what they might have done wrong in the time since he last saw them off for training with Zero. Perhaps it would be reason to replace them … after all, these three were _hard to replace_, but not _irreplaceable_, and maybe their successors would be more obedient and subservient …

"There is a new threat to our Clan … a new werecat of some sort has appeared, and I want you to neutralise it," explained Gothwrain, holding each of the three under consideration. "Consider it a test of your skills as trackers and assassins. If you pass, it may be time to take your training to the next level, if you fail … you will have to be … _retrained_."

"Like, sir!" interrupted the one known as Moisha. "Like, where is this werecat, and, like, what kind of werecat is it?"

Gothwrain stared at her through his glasses until she squeaked and looked to the floor.

"His species is unknown," replied Gothwrain slowly. "But his location is on Jade, in the Seer's Desert."

"It's a _male_ werecat?" confirmed Lydia.

"Yes, and he is the only one of his kind," answered Gothwrain testily. "We do not know what makes him so dangerous, but our Seer Cast has confirmed that he may be a real threat to our Clan, so he must be eliminated."

"When do we leave, sir?"

"You will leave _now_, and do not return until your task is complete."

* * *

-BOOOOM!-

Ranma may not be an expert, though talented he may be, but having an explosion in ones only shelter may not have been the best idea.

This was what happened when he tampered with different energies than he was used to. He needed to see those attacks a couple of more times before he would have memorised them properly.

Ranma was really angry with himself. Usually he only needed to see something once before he got it right, why was this any different?

What should he do now … he could explore, but what … maybe those bandits had a hideout? He could use a shelter after he had just blown his own to bits.

Taking a moment, he decided to do it and immediately started tracking, looking for clues as to which direction the bandits had come in from before they had attacked.

Following a slight ki trail, much like a heat trail but where a person leaves a very recognisable energy trail instead of warm foot prints, Ranma headed off.

-Rrrrroar!-

Ranma's stomach growled. This reminded him that he had not eaten in about a day.

Maybe they had food at the hideout?


	4. Chapter 4

(Re-Posted January 11th 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

Jackpot!

After nearly all night of searching, Ranma had found the hideout of the bandits! And it was so simple! It was a hole in the ground covered with a wooden trap door and sticks covering it! And to top it all off, it was abandoned!

Ranma was happy. He finally found shelter, and they had food in it too! Enough to feed an army for a month!

Had he been about three, Ranma would have wet himself with excitement.

The building itself seemed to be an abandoned temple or palace, either sunken or buried in the dunes, only accessible through a hole in the roof. The ground was wooden, and mostly covered in dirt, and there were several rooms set up. Most were barracks for the dozens of bandits, but there was also a treasury, easily twice as big as the Tendo house, filled nearly half way. But in the centre of it all, directly below the opening in the roof, was a kitchen, where the cooking fire was set to vent smoke up the hole. Dry wood was lined along the wall for kindling.

One thing Ranma failed to see the reason for, was a long board held up by several pairs of legs, like a thin table, barely thick enough to be able to balance a mug, with pegs set into the floor at even spacing, and hooks in the ceiling at the same intervals. The fact that there were whips and such set up also made very little sense, as he could not see any prison anywhere.

His sense of smell told him that bodily fluids had been spilt not more than two nights ago along the thin table, concentrated near the pegs in the ground. If these bandits had sex, then whom with? The only bandits he had beaten were men, so with whom did they have sex?

Deciding not to give himself a headache while thinking things over, Ranma made himself some food, to quell the gnawing hunger.

The food was so good, the fire was so warm … Ranma fell asleep nearly as soon as he had finished his large meal.

* * *

In the dark alleys of a nocturnal Seer's Hamlet, a form slinks through.

"The Bandits of the Sand have been captured," rumbled a male voice. The speech was thick, making the words sound heavier than they were. "The fools."

The form hurriedly dove behind a rainwater barrel as the Sheriff's patrols walked past the alley with a lantern, looking for signs of trouble. Seeing none, the guard walked on. When the guard was out of sight, the form crept back out, yet remained in the shadows.

"However," muttered the man, "they left their loot in their hideout unguarded judging by the number that was arrested … it would be a shame to let it all go to waste. Maybe I should pay the hideout a visit, to make sure that the treasure is safe, and maybe add to my retirement fund …"

Without a sound, the form went further into the alley and started scaling the wall, looking to use the rooftops to get to the gates of the town unseen.

* * *

Mmmm …

Ranma could not remember a more pleasant awakening. He was warm, rested, and he had awoken on his own. Not because his father was starting to beat on him, throw him out of a window or into a pond. Not because Akane was shrieking in his ear to get up. Not because the same uncute tomboy was emptying a bucket of icy water on him. And not because the sun had started stinging his eyes through his eyelids, but because his body had rested enough!

It was such a pleasant sensation, he was sorely tempted to repeat it at the soonest convenience.

However, the tingling sensation along his spine told him there was a more pressing matter.

-Whhhht!-

-Thud!-

Ranma looked down at the gleaming crossbow bolt sticking out of the floor not far from where he had been stretching. Judging by the angle, it would have struck his chest, and would have hurt a great deal. As he started to descend from his hasty leap, he started wondering what he could possibly have done to warrant such a greeting.

As he landed, Ranma spotted his assailant. A short and stout dwarf with stereotypical red beard twined into two braids, reaching his waist. On his back hung a great big axe with golden symbols etched into the surface, and a silvery gleam along the edge of the blade made Ranma's mind tingle.

Wasn't there something about werewolves and silver? He couldn't for the life of him remember what that was.

In the dwarf's hands was a powerfully built crossbow, clearly built for distance, speed and accuracy, already loaded with another bolt that had a complete silvery gleam, like the one embedded in the floor behind Ranma.

"I see yeh found the hideout, werepanther," growled the dwarf, "an' yeh managed to dodge my silver bolt. Yeh have potential, lad … too bad yeh had to meet up with me under these circumstances … ye'd have been a great apprentice to some Weapons-Master. But yeh see, yeh are between me and the treasure, an' I can't leave any witnesses behind to tell the Edge Guard about me. G'bye!"

-Twang!-

As the silver bolt was whizzing towards Ranma at unseen speeds, Ranma realised that the thing about werewolves and silver was an extreme and maybe even lethal allergy towards the stuff!

If he dodged, he'd be OK, but only until he had disarmed the dwarf.

If he snatched the bolt out of the air like his skills were screaming at him to do, he would get burned by the supposedly pure metal, and he would be distracted by the pain enough to allow the dwarf to load another bolt or draw his axe.

Ranma dodged. Into the path of another silver arrow.

The dwarf wasn't as stupid as he looked. There must have been two bolts on the crossbow and two firing mechanisms. Clever.

To avoid getting speared by the bolt, Ranma swatted it upwards, altering its trajectory and embedding it in the roof.

Ranma looked at his hand, waiting for the pain to come, but it didn't.

Nothing.

No reaction at all.

Maybe the silver deal was only in movies, or maybe only for werewolves?

His distraction nearly cost him, as the dwarf had done as Ranma had assumed. He had pulled out his large axe, and was swinging it at Ranma.

Ranma barely had time to duck out of the path of the gleaming weapon.

"Stupid Brunk," the dwarf grunted between swings. "Last time I buy silver bolts from _'im_!"

Ranma leapt over another swing, and nearly forgot to pull in his tail before it was chopped off.

"Probably shined and polished steel to look like silver to save money on production!"

Ranma leant aside as the dwarf chopped down vertically.

"Stand still, lad, and face your death like a REAL man!"

Ranma leapt over the attacking dwarf, and poked his back with his tail to signify that he was no longer in front of him. This was fun.

"It'll only hurt for a bit!"

"Nu-uh!" replied Ranma as he leant backwards from a horizontal swing aimed at his neck. "I ain't stupid, ya know!" Ranma weaved through a swift combo of axe and dagger, which had been pulled at some time since the fight started. "I don't wanna be dead, I ain't dyin', simple as that, 'sides, I don't lose!"

"DIE!"

Ranma swatted the dwarf's arms aside and bashed his head into his opponent's forehead, dazing him for a moment.

"Nope!"

Ranma dropped to the ground and spun around, sweeping the legs out from under the man that was barely lower than himself.

"Umph!" grunted the dwarf as he crashed into the ground. "All right, lad, play-time is over, now I'm mad!"

His hand went into a pocket, and out came a ring, which was quickly slipped onto his left hand.

His form blurred, and Ranma suddenly found himself flying through the air with a slash along his chest.

"Heh, speed rings. Cheating in professional battles, perfect to settle a score like this one," snorted the dwarf.

Ranma got back to his feet, hand going for his wound, and finding it nearly closed. It still hurt, but this healing thing was pretty neat.

Ranma cracked a few joints in his neck, and slipped into his best defence stance.

To the dwarf, it looked like he was giving up, relaxing his defences like that. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he charged in, swinging his axe in one hand and the dagger in the other, at near sonic speeds thanks to the ring, apparently.

Ranma knew that the best way to get under an opponent's skin, was to act as though their skills were so far beneath him that he didn't bother to retaliate. So Ranma poured ki into his speed, and dodged and weaved, steering clear of the blades with such ease and speed, it looked like he was standing still and that the weapons were passing through him. This was really his after image, as his speed now far exceeded that of the dwarf, and the eye can only really see things at so high speeds. Only those genetically meant to go at such speeds, or those physically trained to do it, would be able to watch Ranma's movements.

This one sided attack soon stopped, with the dwarf panting slightly from his effort. Ranma felt slightly tired as well, but used the Soul of Ice to keep from showing any signs of it. He was also slowly replenishing his ki supplies by siphoning chi from his surroundings. It was a technique he had learned from watching Dragonball. He theorised that the power of the Saiyan came from being chi-to-ki converters, which was why they became more powerful with every battle. For every battle, their control in the conversion between energies became greater. At certain points, the body of a Saiyan had to change slightly to be able to hold this power, but Ranma still managed to come up with a technique that did something like it, though it wasn't nearly as fast or powerful as the characters he copied it from.

"You've got some skills," grunted the dwarf. Sweat dripping from his brow. "Looks like I have to use another trick!"

With another flick of his hand, he had collected another ring and slipped it on the same finger as the last.

"EAT FIRE!"

A punching motion brought on a ball of fire, headed for Ranma at the speeds of a baseball, speeds Ranma could handle in his sleep.

He leapt over it, pulling up his tail at the last minute as the fireball flew under him and impacted against the stone wall, causing a little explosion.

"You missed by a mile!" laughed Ranma, barely managing to keep his breath from giving away his level of exhaustion.

The dwarf growled and sent fireball after fireball at the transformed Martial Artist.

Ranma leapt around like a cricket on steroids and caffeine, shouting out insults at every stop.

"You couldn't hit a mosquito with the broadside of a barn!" –Swish!- "You couldn't hit the ground if you were falling!" –Whoosh!- "Did you _miss_ me?" –Ffft!- "Oooh, that's going to be difficult to repair!" –Swish!- "Maybe you should get fitted for glasses!"

The furious dwarf had finally had enough.

"THAT'S IT! OUT WITH THE ARTILLERY!"

Ranma wasn't really surprised when yet another ring was pulled out of a pocket, and set on the opposite hand.

What's with that guy and rings? He thought.

"FRY!"

Ranma's eyes widened as he felt a chi line extend itself in his direction. He had only felt this in a thunder storm, just before lightning struck!

Feeling where the jagged line would move, Ranma ducked below it, just in time to avoid getting hit by a bolt of lightning emerging from the dwarf's hands.

It took him some time before he saw the pattern in the dwarf's attacks.

Lightning, lightning, lightning. Swing axe and dagger. Fireball, lightning, lightning, repeat.

Ranma didn't cut down on his banter as he dodged.

"C'mon, I haven't got the entire millennium, stop trying to hit me and _hit me_!" –Craaak!- "If you were goin' any slower, you'd be goin' backwards!" –Swish!- "I've seen snails go faster than that!" –Bzzzt!- "I know itty-bitty-piggies that have more power behind their hits!" –Whoosh!- "My dead great-grandmother moves faster than you!"

The dwarf, by now nearly on his knees with exhaustion, put on another ring on the same finger as the last.

This was not a good idea.

It appeared that the ring he just put on was of opposing forces to the lightning one, which caused a violent reaction.

-Cra-ak BOOOOOM!-

Ranma shielded his face from any flying debris and waited for a moment before looking.

Where the dwarf had been, a big gaping hole had opened up to a hidden space underneath.

The pained moan let Ranma know the dwarf was still alive.

The pained moan was joined by fearful whimpers, sobs and pleas for help from the gods.

Ranma quickly approached the edge, and looked down.

He couldn't see much except the charred, smoking form of the unconscious dwarf, but there was a sound of metal clinking against metal.

Seeing no way down, Ranma lowered himself down the hole, holding an improvised torch by his tail.

He was not greeted by a pleasant sight, but at least his question of whom the bandits had fornicated with was answered.

The room was about fifteen feet in height and covered the entire size of the construction, going from one stone wall to another and another and another. Cages of about five feet in height, width and length were lined up, some atop the others. All filled with women of varying ages between thirteen to the mid forties. There must have been nearly a hundred of them. Ranma was reminded of the horrifying images he had seen from concentration camps for Jews during the Second World War They had hardly any muscles left on them. Pale and bruised skin stretched over bones. They were covered in filth and muck, but nothing else. They must have been starving for a long time, fed only enough to keep them alive, shackled to the bars of their tiny cages and taken upstairs when the bandits felt like some fun, not even allowed to use an assigned area to relieve themselves, forcing them to live, eat and sleep in their own filth.

Ranma was beyond angry … he was _pissed off_.

But this was not the time for anger, and there were no proper targets for his emotions. These women needed his help, and he was going to give it to them.

* * *

Thropan was having a nice day.

He had awoken to the birds chirping merrily from the smaller branches of the trees found spread across the town.

He had eaten a delicious breakfast, lovingly prepared by the old lady from across the road. She felt like doing her bit for the town by keeping one of its Edge Guard well fed.

On his way to headquarters, as many as three women had winked or waved flirtingly after him.

Once at work, he had been assigned to watch their prisoners, which allowed him to sit and relax by the door while playing a few ditties on his lute. During meals, he had to search the prisoners' food for anything not supposed to be in it, but that was easy, and left him with time to think up a few simple mechanical designs he might be able to integrate with magic. A magical crossbow might be of use to someone somewhere.

After work, he stopped by Dragen's Tavern for a mug of ale, and was hit on by an Amazon breeder. Not in the sense that Tirga had been so often because of his forward ways, with a well placed leg or weapon, but the _good_ way.

If he thought it could be popular, he might even try to compose a song about how wonderful the day had been for him.

The alarm sounded from the North Gate ruined his good mood. An alarm hardly ever meant anything good. In the best case scenario, it meant that someone or several people at once were trying to get in without paying the small tribute to the town of a couple of pieces of copper per person.

As obligated by his occupation, no matter if he was on or off duty, Thropan rushed to the gate to keep things under control until assistance could arrive.

As he rounded a corner, however, Thropan came to a halt so fast he fell on his face.

Skeleton troops! They were under attack by a necromancer! There was no way he could defend against over a hundred skele- hey, since when did skeleton troops have their eyes and skin intact? And why would they be smiling? And now for the big question, why were they dragging behind them the clerk that recorded down the Merchant Guild meetings concerning trade schedules, charred, bruised and in chains?

Thropan spat out the mouthful of dirt he had just tasted and approached the beings.

As he came closer, he noticed the ragged and scant clothing they had on. If their covered areas were anything to go by, they were women. It was difficult to tell when they were so bony.

"What's going on here?" he asked as he came within conversational range of the closest one.

"Are you of the Edge Guard?" asked the woman in a raspy voice, a sign that it had either been over-used or under-used. Thropan nodded seriously. "Then I would like to report myself and all these women as no longer missing, and ask to have this dwarf arrested."

"Arrested? On what charges?"

"Accessory to robbery, kidnapping, rape and murder," the woman answered, followed by a slight fit of coughs. After she had calmed down somewhat, she continued. "We've witnessed him associate with our kidnappers and rapists, the Bandits of the Sand, handing them documents that were used in the staging of the robberies."

"Those are serious charges, indeed," commented Thropan absently.

People were now starting to flock towards them, and Thropan needed to have this under better control.

"Well, if you'd follow me, I think we can overlook the refusal to pay the toll for entering the town this once, as you don't seem to have any pockets. I will take you to the Edge Guard headquarters where you will be asked to give a statement." He took another glance at the dwarf. "Please, allow me to relieve you of your burden."

"Thank you," sighed the eight women who held onto the chains and ropes as Thropan took over.

"By the way," grunted Thropan as he pulled the heavy weight of the dwarf, metal and ropes, "how did you overpower this guy?" he nodded at the unconscious, charred dwarf behind him. "You do not seem fit enough to go up against a healthy and rested dwarf, even if there were a dozen of you."

"We were saved," replied the first woman, a slight choked sob of gratitude and relief in her voice. "There was a battle, and after this piece of scum was taken care of, _he_ released us, fed us, cleaned us, watched over us as we rested, and supplied coverings for our bodies before escorting us to this door."

The eyes of all the previous slaves within hearing range started to mist up with gratitude.

"We owe him our lives," another chirped in. "We would have died within another day if he hadn't come along!"

"Yes," agreed the first woman. "And if he asked, I am certain everyone of us would have gladly gone into his servitude to repay him for saving us, without hesitating."

A slight cheer of "Yes," "Of course," and "Without question," rose from the former slave women.

"When we offered, he said no, that he didn't want to _own_ anyone, and said we should return to our families."

"Bless him!" one of the starved women in the back called out, followed by a series of coughs. This was agreed upon by the others.

"That's quite a story," commented Thropan, idly wondering what he would have done in that situation, and what he would use a hundred women for … "So what was the name of this saviour?"

"He never told us," confessed the first woman, who hung her head in slight shame. "But he had the darkest coat of fur I've ever seen," she added, staring into space with a twinkle in her eye.

"And the cutest fangs!" added another. "Looked almost like a vampire's fangs!"

"And he wasn't one of those giant macho jerks who oil his bulging muscles for them to look better!" chirped in a third.

"I think he was very cute for such a short person!" added a fourth.

"And he had the bluest eyes!" continued the first.

Thropan didn't interrupt, as he recognised the dazed look most of them had on as daydreaming about the person they were describing. And from the way they were describing him, it sounded like the saviour of the last caravan.

When the women seemed to come out of the daydream on their own, Thropan continued asking questions.

"Where is he now?"

"Oh, he said he wasn't ready to face this 'primitive, but nice civilisation' yet," quoted the first. "He just followed us to the doorway, made sure we were safe and inside before he left."

Thropan sighed in resignation. It looked like they had to wait a bit longer to meet this mysterious werecat.

However, their conversation was unguarded, and therefore everyone who had followed out of curiosity heard about the event. Within the time Thropan had escorted the women to headquarters and contacted Nali and other healers to aid them in restoring the women to health, half the town had heard about the rescue, and the events had started to blow up in proportion, until it turned out as a giant werecat with venomous fangs and a deadly glare running about Seer's Desert, slaying bandits and saving people.

This rumour was both reassuring to the public, and frightening. What if this monster decided to abandon the role of vigilante and turn against them? They would all be dead before they managed to mount a defence!

Pleas to the Sheriff were sent, telling her to look into this matter, and see if they could either arrest the beast or drive him away, for the safety of Seer's Hamlet.

The Sheriff found this rumour interesting, and kept the information for the next time she spoke with her boyfriend, later this evening.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Nerima, Ryoga crashed through the outer wall of the Tendo compound.

"_Where the Hell am I now_?" he bellowed to the skies. "Ranma Saotome, _this is all your fault_! When I see you again, _I'll make your afterlife Hell!_"

Looking around, he saw Akane, in a dirty and tattered gi, sitting by the koi pond with her hands poised above the reflective surface. Not far from her was a cooking fire.

"Akane, what are you doing?" he asked, anger having vanished upon seeing his love again.

"Catching … dinner … Ssssh!" whispered the dirty Akane.

"What do you mean?" asked the pigheaded boy, and stomped closer. Akane's hands shot into the water and came out empty.

"You scared it off!" she complained.

"Why are you fishing in your koi pond?" asked the boy, sitting down opposite the pond from the fire. "Why can't you just get food from the refrigerator?"

"Because no one bought any food," answered Akane, as though it was the most obvious reason in the world.

"Why not?"

"Because we have no money," snapped the short-tempered girl.

"What happened to your money?"

"Don't know," answered Akane distractedly as she returned her attention to the fat fish swimming around in the shallow pool. "Nabiki hasn't been home for a couple of days, and Kasumi hasn't come back from the market yet."

"She hasn't?" asked Ryoga. "Wait a minute, how will she be able to buy anything at the market if you have no money?"

"Don't know," replied Akane. "Her problem. But I can't cook what little we have."

"What do you mean, you're a great cook!" Ah, love truly does make one blind … or in this case, numbs the taste buds and later makes the stomach complain …

"Nothing works," snapped Akane. "So I had to light a fire out here or we'd have frozen to death last night."

"Where is your father? And Mr Saotome?"

"Out getting some sake to keep them warm," -splash!- "Ha! Got you!"

"Where did they get money for sake if you don't have any?"

"Dad mentioned something about old teachings … and now to fry you, little fishie!" she ended in a cheerful chirp, slapping the still flopping fish on the fire, nearly putting the flaming wood out.

"How long has Kasumi been out?" asked Ryoga, slightly disgusted by the way Akane was handling the fish.

"Couple of days …"

"Oh …"

* * *

In Jade, the Arbron's Spine Mountain Range to be more exact, three wererats were climbing down the mountain.

"Who's bright idea was it to send us to the top of that mountain, anyway?" groused Romeo.

"Lord Gothwrain," answered Lydia.

"Like, couldn't he have, like, sent use to a beach instead of the top of an icy mountain?" complained Moisha.

"Of course he f#&ing could," snapped Lydia. "He just doesn't like us, and for him to do that, we will have to kiss some serious a$$!"

"D' you think takin' care of this werecat 'll do it?" asked Romeo, and slipped on a rock, landing on his butt where a particularly sharp edge was. "OW!"

"Nope," answered Lydia flatly. "Not by a long shot."

* * *

Credits; The idea of the female slaves at the Bandit hideout was suggested by Dragon Man 180. Thank you, this helped greatly in creating a rumour about the mysterious werecat currently roaming the desert. The importance of this will soon come into play. 


	5. Chapter 5

(Re-Posted January 11th 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

Ranma jumped and pumped his fist in the air. He had done it!

What exactly had been done, was the creation of a car … or rather the skeleton of one, with an encased engine of the same design he had made for his first Science Club challenge, only on a slightly larger scale. It was encased to keep the sand, dirt and dust from entering and somehow muck up the works. The parts had been stored in Ranma's personal stuff space for over two months. He had been sent flying into the car section of the local junk yard once in Nerima, and upon regaining his bearings, thought that building a car might be one of his future projects … might as well rid the world of some trash in the progress and keep it just in case … the manager of the junk yard had been very confused when nearly half his lot had been emptied, and no one had been seen coming or going.

And this was what he used, welding together the frame of a car designed to manage even the roughest terrain.

One might wonder why he had decided to make a car now, when he was in the middle of a desert and was used to walking for most of the day, and the answer is simple; he wanted to be more alert, more rested for when he eventually ran into more company. He now knew that there were patrols roaming the desert at all times, looking for trouble, and had no illusions of being able to stay away from them at all times. So he made this car to conserve his energy, and to keep a steady pace to put some distance between him and a tracker.

He had been exposed to the Amazon laws, he did not want to become the victim of the barbarian laws of this place if he showed up in any town. For all he knew, the bandits he had beaten up and sent to get arrested were on the loose or had friends in high places that could get Ranma on the list of most wanted criminals for things he hadn't done.

Ranma looked over his half-way completed work.

The tires were large and thick, with deep and spaced treads in them. He had taken several tires more than he needed, and made new ones from them to fit his designs. He even installed several thin hoses horizontally inside, separate from one another in case something penetrated the rubber and punctured the hose, either deliberate or accidental. This way, the tire would not deflate suddenly, and he would have a couple of spares at the ready if the tire could not be fixed.

The frames were built not too unlike this car he had seen in a movie once, where this kid sent himself back in time thirty years and had to set things up so his parents got together, got married and had him and his siblings. Apart from the junk at the back of that car, it looked like a good transportation vehicle. The only difference was that it had to be strengthened and made a little stouter in shape to stand up to the forces Ranma tested it for. The tests were mostly him punching the metal as hard as he could … if it bent, he needed to fold the metal more and strengthen it, if it dented, it was nearly good enough, if he cut his hand from the force and nothing happened to the metal, it was good enough. Ranma was at first amazed at how much stronger he had gotten since the transformation, nearly three times what he had as a human, ki enhancing not included. It was also amazing what feats could be accomplished through the use of ki and chi manipulation. Chi readings of a metal structure revealed flaws, and ki could weld and heat metal to temperatures equalling that of a blow torch, and cut better than any blade, making construction much easier when he didn't want to carry around potentially explosive items in his personal stuff space, such as the gas tank needed to fuel a blow torch.

The seat was one of the more comfortable he could find in the junk yard, and was attached to the frame so well, it would take a troll to rip it out. Even Ranma had trouble doing so with his newfound strength coupled with his ki strengthening.

The steering was mostly normal, but the suspenders were made for off-road driving, so the axels were set to be adjustable to terrain, instead of rigid like in most normal cars, allowing for even traction on all wheels even on rocky ground. (N1)

But he couldn't waste more time, there was probably a patrol headed for this hideout now that the freed women were returned and knew where it was.

The car was functional, that was all he needed right now.

Ranma jumped into the hideout to loot any worthless things like food left over, and weapons that didn't have any feel of energy in them … the last could be used as armour for the car … and if he found anything, he stowed it into his stuff space.

After a quick scouring of the hideout, Ranma emerged and jumped into the driver's seat.

"And away we go!" he laughed and pulled the lever that held the springs still, then pressed down the thrust pedal to connect the gears to the ones already connected to the springs. With a snap, the car jumped and started spinning all four wheels rapidly, kicking up large quantities of dust and grass, then the vehicle started moving forward and forward, picking up speed until he five seconds later had reached the limit in a slight incline, sixty miles per hour.

"WOOOO-HOOOOO!"

Now, if he only had some speakers for his laptop, and some music on it in addition to diagnostics software and blueprints …

* * *

In the Sheriff's office of Seer's Hamlet, Sheriff Nadali is having a conversation with a seemingly withered old man dressed in filthy robes, and with thick glasses and beard.

"From what I've heard, this werecat could be a great asset to our plans," stated Nadali, shifting slightly under the stare the old man was directing at her.

"From what _I've_ heard, he might not be more than the figure of a bunch of horny women's imaginations," retorted the man.

"He is very real," countered Nadali. "I've seen the prisoners myself, they were handled by a professional. None of the freed slaves or the saved caravan had enough skills to take on a single person at a time, let alone form an assault group to take on them all without wanting credit for it, and those slaves wouldn't have the strength of a newly born kitten, let alone enough to beat up a skilled dwarf in a bid for freedom."

"Hmmm," the man seemed to be in deep thought.

"Tirant?" "Shh! He's thinkin'!" "Always difficult the first time …" "Don't insult our nookie source!"

Nadali was getting a headache. All those different personalities trying to get heard, and she had to focus on what her boyfriend might say next.

"Have our lackeys be on the lookout," the man named Tirant finally replied. "If they find this mysterious werecat, have them try and recruit him for our purposes, or as a bodyguard. Can never have too many of them. If not, dispose of him."

"I'll give them the message," agreed Nadali. Anything to get this over with … she might still have a shot at keeping her lives on Jade if this werecat was anything like the reports said. He was bound to be against enslaving an entire world and do something against it, and she would be free to carry on as she had for a while now before she freed Tirant.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of town, the gate opened to admit three persons.

One was a woman in a sun dress and broad-brimmed hat. Her ears were like those of a cat, and a stripe ran down over the left eye. Her blonde hair had dark spots in it, like the spots of a cheetah. She was holding a bag, a book and a scroll, wondering where she was supposed to put it all.

The second was a man, in a dark grey mage suit and with dark hair. He was carrying nothing, but was casting worried glances at their third member.

The last was a woman, blonde hair, through which poked what looked like the horns of an antelope, petite everywhere but in the chest area, wearing very little and carrying a huge duffle bag with great difficulty. However, she refused any assistance from the man.

"It's – it's okay Seance," she huffed with a loving tone. She was obviously smitten with the man. "I'm -ugh- f-fine …"

"If you'd change back to your _masculine_ form, you wouldn't be struggling with that thing," commented the blonde in an undertone to the other woman. Out loud, she addressed the man named Seance. "Aheh … thanks for your help, Seance … we really owe you one …"

Seance turned to the women and got a slightly sheepish expression. "Actually, I _do_ have and ulterior motive." He confessed. "But it can wait until we're all settled in …"

Up on a platform overlooking the gate was a dwarven woman, leaning against the railing.

From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the three arrivals.

"Weapons-Master G'Nolga …" interrupted a masked and hooded man slightly away. "You saw something?"

The dwarf woman kept her eyes on the three on the ground.

"That I did, Hanzo …" she answered absently. "Cruk? Use the spyglass on the three newcomers at the North Gate, please."

The wart ogre garbled something in his native tongue and did as told.

G'Nolga was watching the three and having some bored thoughts of her own. They couldn't be much of a challenge. None of the magic users they had kidnapped had been. Now, if even a third of the rumours about the werecat out in the desert were true, he might be a challenge, a worthy one. Maybe worthy of her, even …

* * *

In his car, Ranma sneezed, and thereby did not see the fly headed for him, causing him to swallow it as his head returned to normal position with a slight gasp for air.

Coughing and hacking, Ranma tried to expel the insect, but it was useless, he had swallowed on reflex as something of manageable size came far enough down the back of his mouth. The unwanted protein was not going anywhere but through him, his digestive system and eventually his entire body as nourishment before it was replaced with something else.

"That tears it!" he growled, "The next thing I'm puttin' on this thing is a windshield! That's the third one I've swallowed since I started!"

Ranma's drive was more than just an escape from a possibly corrupt authority … it was an exploration of unknown territory. He had no doubt that his situation here in this world, which was not his own as he witnessed from the stars at night, would immediately worsen the moment he made contact with any authority figure. It was a feeling he had, an instinct … the same one that told him to not follow his father to his friend's place and return to China to find a cure for his curse.

He was not going to fall victim to a corrupt legal system, nope, not him.

He returned his attention from contemplating his situation to where he was driving.

At the speeds he was travelling at, crashing into anything would be very painful, doubly so because he wasn't wearing a seat belt, and had not managed to set up any airbags or similar cushioning.

Just a few more minutes before he could afford to stop for the night … He doubted anyone could follow him at eighty miles an hour on level ground for as long as he had travelled without resting, so he could stop any time … NOW!

Releasing the accelerator, Ranma let the car roll for a moment before pressing the neighbouring pedal, which made a high pitch grinding noise, only dogs and other creatures with that frequency of hearing would hear, as the gears were forced to slow down. When the gears were sufficiently still, Ranma pushed the lever back into position, freezing the springs in position.

He was getting thirsty.

This was the first thing he noticed when he stopped.

He found a skin filled with water in stuff space, and greedily let the liquid trickle down his throat.

When he had drunk his fill, he let a drop make its way down his face until it dropped to the dry ground.

Seeing this drop made him realise something he had neglected to think about since before he had been transformed into this … why hadn't he gotten splashed? He had been around several flasks and skins of water, but none of them had inexplicably burst open to drench him and change his gender. Why? There had been several perfectly good opportunities for the curse to strike, but nothing had happened.

Looking at the skin in his hand, he decided it might be better to get the change over with and see how big a change his female form had after the transformation.

With a sigh, he upended the skin over his head, letting the water splash down in a miniature waterfall.

Ranma's eyes remained shut, waiting for the tingling the change usually brought.

Nothing.

Ranma opened his eyes to find that he was still a guy!

Was he finally rid of the curse?

Had he exchanged one curse for another?

Was he never going to turn into a girl anymore?

He wanted to do a little jig of joy at being rid of the curse, but decided not to get too excited. It might just be that the curse had run out of power and needed time to recharge before returning. After all, if a computer is exposed to a surge of power, it shuts down immediately to prevent damage to the systems. Who was to say the curse was any different? He had gone through a very big magical event a few days ago, and the curse might just have turned itself off until it could reboot and make sure no damage had occurred with it.

Besides, that solar eclipse that looked to be starting soon made him feel very edgy.

* * *

"WAAAAAH!"

Meanwhile at the foot of Arbron's Spine, three wererats in human form were running for it.

Romeo had slipped again as they neared the bottom, but this time it was not his posterior that was the victim, it was the stew a big troll was in the process of eating.

The three had taken off in a hurry before the troll realised what had happened. But when it did, it picked up its club and started chasing the trio for ruining his meal. Romeo was suffering from a slight burn from the hot stew, but was otherwise fine enough to keep it up for a little while. Moisha and Lydia were not injured, but tired from climbing down the steep mountain side.

-CRASH!-

The troll had just tried to smash them between the rocky ground and its hard wooden club, but missed because they had leapt out of the way, but they had not escaped the spray of rock shrapnel produced by this impact.

Small cuts and budding bruises now decorated the three wererats, and they were unable to change into hybrid form, as this would reveal their species and the existence of wererats in general. Ever since the creation of the werecats, they had done the best they could to get erased from memory, and these three were given explicit instructions not to give themselves away. Disobeying would be more painful than their current situation, so they kept on running like madmen.

"WAAAAAH! I WANT MY MUMMY!"

* * *

At the hideout of the Bandits of the Sand, soldiers had just arrived on a somewhat out-of-routine patrol.

Leading the patrol, was Captain Richards, a tall, strong man in his late forties, slightly greying brown hair at his temples, and steely grey eyes.

Like any veteran soldier, his body was riddled with scars, but the ones on his face and arms were the more noticeable ones due to their exposure. A tattoo of the word "Mother" was circled with a heart on his right shoulder. His weapon of choice had at one time been a sword and a small shield, but the shield had been abandoned for a bastard sword, giving him an offensive defence. He had been a soldier patrolling the Seer's Desert since he was seventeen. He had no wife since he was married to his work, only a regular prostitute he visited twice a week to relieve some stress. She had oddly enough gotten less free time and was always baby sitting a growing number of brats over the past decade, and seemed to fluctuate in weight over the year, but who was he to judge … He had been in the same rank for nearly a decade, with the same measly pay, and was only put in charge of this patrol eight winters ago.

He had been sent out here because he was used to dealing with bandits, and was good at it.

They would never have found this hideout if they hadn't been given detailed directions, or if the door wasn't wide open and giving away its location as subtly as a banner and a flag would have. And Captain Richards would know, this was on their regular route, and they had never seen this hideout before now. He was feeling slightly stupid for overlooking this over so many years, and started wondering _what else_ he had overlooked.

There were no signs of anything living having been inside for at least half a day, but the tracks leading away were of the oddest variety the Captain had ever seen.

Two deep imprints running in parallel lines, with roughly the same width between them as a wagon track. The track was covered with a lot of debris, a sign of great speed.

But the origin of the tracks was a mystery.

They looked like very broad wagon wheel tracks, but there was no sign of any animal pulling it, and no wagon he knew of could move quickly enough to kick up this much dust in the air.

Whatever made these tracks had to be powerful, more so than his team of soldiers could match. Anything that could get magic to pull or push a wagon without leaving visible evidence of it had to be powerful. If he didn't know it to be impossible, he would have thought this was a sign of … shudder … _technology_. But that was impossible, as technology had been outlawed for centuries, and no one could have developed anything of this size without giving themselves away. There were several engineers that had been taken to prison for developing technology that was found to be dangerous, so he knew this could not be technology.

"Private Simmons!" bellowed Captain Richards. "Front and centre!"

After a silent moment, a gangly teenage boy with a sword much too big for him and armour in the same state came scurrying up of the hole of the hideout where he had helped search for hidden dangers.

He came to a clumsy halt before the Captain, and gave a salute. "Sir!"

"Return to Seer's Hamlet," commanded Captain Richards. "Tell the headquarters that we need more men, and tell them to bring trackers, the best they've got available, and any mage they can convince to come out of hiding as well. We have to follow that trail if we are to get anywhere on this, we have a runaway witness we need to track down, and by all accounts, he will be hard to catch and will not give up without a fight!"

Private Simmons stood rooted to the spot, quaking in terror at the thought of going after a twelve foot tall werecat with fangs as big as a man's arm, poisonous enough to kill ten giants in seconds.

"GET A MOVE ON, MAGGOT!" bellowed the impatient Captain, suddenly mere inches from the boy's face.

With a squeak, Private Simmons took off the way they had come.

The Captain looked after the retreating form with distaste.

"New recruits," he spat. "Pah, standards must have been lowered greatly since my day … I remember we had to wrestle a weretiger to the ground with our bare hands for our fitness test … and get beaten by a troll two times a day for three months to build up endurance …"

The nearest soldier, a Corporal, knew what was coming and decided to join his fellow soldiers in the bandit hideout. Somehow, looking for hidden bandits armed to their teeth and with nothing to lose didn't sound so bad. He only got three feet before the Captain grabbed hold of his shoulder and pulled him into a companionable half embrace, which could also resemble a headlock by the casual observer.

"Ah, yes, those were the days … when men were men, and women were mistresses …" the Corporal was staring teary-eyed at the hole in the ground he now wished he had climbed down. "Those paper pushers back at headquarters – bah – damn 'em to the Undead Realm! They thought it was cruel and violent to expose recruits to what's worked for generations! Bureaucracy, m' lad, that is what'll destroy the world! Not the sword!"

While the Captain was taking a loud trip down memory lane, Corporal Nadam was staring longingly at the hole which hid the others. Those lucky bastards down there didn't have to listen to the Captain reminisce. The Corporal briefly contemplated gnawing his own neck off to escape from the lock his head was in, but couldn't bring himself to abandon his girl back home, and he didn't think he could manage to reach it with his teeth. So he was forced to suffer alone. But that didn't mean he had to face it like a man, and tears started trickling down his face.

"I know, soldier," commented the Captain sympathetically, drawing his own conclusions about the tears. "I miss those days too …"

* * *

Author's Notes; I've managed to locate a map of Jade. I found the map on; www dot gdpg dot 8m dot com slash rpg3 dot html. (Note 1; If you're having trouble imagining this car, think a cross between the newest Batmobile, a Delorian and a Landrover with a spring powered engine composed of six large and hard springs. Silver grey, thus far. But no weaponry, this is not a military vehicle … yet. And I have no idea about cars, so I'm just making stuff up as I go along. Much like everything else I write …) 


	6. Chapter 6

(Re-Posted January 11th 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

"Do as I say, woman!"

Genma Saotome was not in a happy mood, as could be seen by the dark red colour of his face.

He was currently in a bank of the Minato ward, where he had found that his son had set up an account without letting anyone know and with money Genma never knew he had. The sole reason he found out about the account, was the monthly statement that had been sent to the Tendo home, and Ranma had not been present to snatch up before anyone noticed, like he normally would.

"I'm sorry, sir," apologised the female teller. "The government has not yet recognised that Ranma Saotome is dead, so we will not hand over what is on his account to you, even if you are his father. No one short of the Emperor would have the authority to demand we do that."

"But he _is_ my son, I _am_ his father, and as his legal guardian I demand to make a withdrawal from that account!" countered Genma stubbornly. He _needed_ that money for _sake_! He had run out of photographs of his son to show some suckers so he could engage their daughters for a small sum of money or a meal.

"I'm sorry, sir, but there was no trace of a dead body, and only hearsay about him being killed by _magic_," answered the teller seriously. "Until such time that a body can be found and the DNA and dental evidence checks out, the government and this bank will consider Mr Saotome as _missing_. If he has not returned in seven years to tell us otherwise, he will then be declared legally dead, either letting the content of the account go to his closest relative, or if none is found, it will go to the government."

It was all perfectly reasonable, and most people would understand or give in when told about it, but this man just didn't get it even after having been told three times. After another raving about how she had to do as he said, just because he said so, she pressed the button that called security to her counter.

"Mr Saotome," she replied tersely, due to a suggestion of her parentage and sexual preference. "The only way you could access this account, would be to have an agreement with Mr Saotome, which you do not have. Only one person apart from Mr Saotome has that agreement to date, and she has not abused it for more than enough to cover the cost of a box of tea when she was short a hundred yen. Now, have a good day, _sir_."

Genma was about to continue his attempts to _persuade_ the woman, but two pairs of hands grabbed his arms, and forcibly ejected him from the building.

As the fat man tumbled to a halt, he could have sworn he heard a faint scream below him reminding him of _the Master_, followed by the roar of something, but put it off as his imagination.

He got up and dusted himself off. It was about time he got himself together, returned to his wife and demanded _she_ empty their dead son's bank account. After all, she was his wife, and had to do what he said.

* * *

Elsewhere in Tokyo, Nodoka Saotome was hanging out her laundry, along with that of her two semi-tenants, to dry.

She just loved having the house full of people again … it made her feel less lonely. However, she was still waiting patiently for her manly son to return. After all, her son had killed a demigod on the way to ascension of full godhood, if the rumours were true, surely he would survive something like whatever Hell that foolish Kuno boy had supposedly banished him to. Maybe they meant Hell in Norway … or in the States … maybe it was Cleveland, Americans in general seems to think that city is pure Hell …

She had just hung out the last article of clothing, a pair of very racy panties Nabiki used every Friday night, when there was a knocking at the front gate.

Nodoka placed the hamper by the door and opened the gate, and was greeted with the sight of a gangly boy about her son's age, thick glasses and greasy hair that suggested either frequent wear of a hat or sub-par hygiene due to preoccupation on other fronts. The pack on his back seemed to be the only training in weights he had.

"Mrs Saotome?" asked the boy seriously.

"That would be me," confirmed Nodoka.

"I was a friend of your son, Mrs Saotome," explained the boy. "I am Iwo Kashima, the President of the Science Club, of which your son was a member."

"I'm sorry, you must be mistaking Ranma for another Saotome, my son had no interest in anything but the Art-"

"On the contrary, madam," interrupted President Iwo. "It was through a challenge that I managed to expand his definition of _the Art_ to include theory and practice outside of fighting. May I have a few words with you in private? This is a sensitive matter, and I wouldn't want to let the world know at the moment."

"Oh my, where are my manners?" exclaimed the Saotome matriarch, aghast that she had let this slip past her so easily. "Please, come inside! I'll make you some tea!"

Before the boy could protest or accept the offer of refreshments, he was ushered gently indoors, and offered a pair of guest slippers to replace his shoes while indoors.

As President Iwo exchanged his footwear, Nodoka gracefully swept outside and grabbed the empty hamper and swept back inside. The hamper now stood outside the wash room before the furo.

Once more, the boy was ushered along, slippers barely managing to hang on as he stumbled down the hall.

Before he knew it, he was seated before a table, on a pillow, and with a steaming cup in front of him. How did she do that? She didn't even leave the room! And how did I manage to get into the tea room and sit down without noticing?

"Now, then, Mr Kashima," started Nodoka, sipping her own cup of tea. "What was this private business you had to discuss with me?"

President Iwo straightened his glasses, figuring this family was prone to perform seemingly impossible feats so he might as well accept it and save himself the headache of figuring it out. The tea was good, though. Ginseng, if he wasn't mistaken … something else was mixed in, though … Green Tea? Earl Grey? Lime? Hard to tell …

"Well, as I stated earlier, your son was a member of the Science Club, and he was quite talented after he got inspired by his love of a good challenge. He even made a few inventions all on his own. That is why I am here," Iwo reached for his backpack, and drew a thick folder from it. "This folder contains all of the blueprints of your son's designs. The hardcopies, that is. He made copies for his computer and handed the hardcopies to me for safekeeping, but that was it. I would feel I was a poor friend if I did not pass on these to you, his mother and closest relative."

President Iwo bowed slightly as he presented the folder to Nodoka. She accepted them hesitantly.

"I would also feel very bad if I did not also give you these," another, considerably thinner, folder was produced and presented. "They are the notarised blueprints and patent applications for one invention I took the liberty of having sent in on Ranma's behalf. They could be worth a fortune if presented to the right people, which is where I come in. I know which e-mails to hack- er –_access_ and which companies to pitch an advertisement to, and would more then gladly handle the business part of this, sending the money made to your son's bank account. I will not even ask for a fee for my services. Your son did so much for our Club, this will be my way of paying him back."

Nodoka was taken aback by the sheer emotion in the boy's voice, not to mention that she only now discovered her son's hobby, and it was going to pay more than any Martial Artist would ever make, by the way the boy expressed himself, maybe even more than Jackie Chan, Jet Lee or Bruce Lee.

"And-" she took a moment to compose herself. "What is this invention?"

Nodoka watched as the boy seemed to light up with excitement.

"It's simply one of the most ingenious things I've ever had the honour of seeing!"

A completely unbiased opinion if she ever heard one.

"It is a small chip with a thin wire looping out of it that can extend to about the width of a set of normal hips, it can be attached, or sown into, any pocket or bag, and will, as long as the container is within reach of the user or any living being, fold space within the container and allow it to increase mass of storage within the container up to twenty times normal!"

This was certainly unexpected.

"What kind of batteries does it use?" asked Nodoka. "Those small ones for wrist watches?" surely, the thing must use a lot of power, and therefore run through batteries like a child runs through its candy.

"That's the beauty of it, none!" exclaimed the boy, grinning so widely Nodoka thought it a small wonder the top of his head hadn't fallen off.

"What?" this sounded impossible.

"It uses the radiation from bio energy to stay on," Iwo continued. "That's why it has to be within reach, or else the power will run out very quickly, and the mass will expand to normal space. It is, as I said, the most brilliant idea ever conceived! Think of what uses this new energy source could have! And best of all, it doesn't pollute! No environmental group will be able to protest against its use or production!"

Nodoka was, to put it mildly, in shock.

Her son, the boy that was on the verge of having to retake a year in school, was really a genius? But the last thing she heard from his teachers was that he slept through classes! … Hmmm … maybe he slept through them because he already knew the material … But he never did his homework! … or did he do them and hand them in secretly …

She had to admit, that would make sense. Nodoka knew of Akane's jealousy at her son's skills … maybe he had gotten the teachers to act like he was ignorant because she would throw a potentially lethal temper tantrum if she found he could outstrip her in anything … but why did the teachers have to lie to his parents? … because her fool of a husband would go on about what a waste of time it had been to learn this scholastic knowledge, that Ranma should only rely on the Art, and how it would be disgraceful not to … and maybe because she, Nodoka, would be unable to keep this great news a secret for longer than three seconds after anyone asked why she looked so happy …

Then it dawned on her.

"So these past months, whenever Ranma was missing, he was with you and your club?"

"Off the record, yes," confirmed Iwo, after looking around for any eavesdroppers.

And Akane had abused him for being perverted with any girl every one of those instances … what a senseless amount of violence …

"Well," started Iwo awkwardly, "I've done what I came for, I need to return home, my sister is setting me up with a friend of hers."

"Oh, let me escort you out," answered Nodoka.

She followed President Iwo as far as the gate, only stopping to exchange footwear again.

"Good bye, and thank you," she called, waving after the boy as he walked away.

"Good bye, and I'm really sorry about your loss!"

Nodoka refrained from calling out her beliefs about Ranma's mortal situation because it would sound like she was in denial, but nodded to indicate that she had heard it.

She waited until the boy was out of sight then turned to return to her home.

Only to find herself staring at a man's chest, covered in a smart, black business suit.

"Is this the Saotome residence?" the man asked in a rough and stern voice. "Are you Saotome Nodoka?"

"Yes," squeaked Nodoka, finding this manly man slightly intimidating. She briefly wondered if Ranma could be this intimidating. Surely it would be manly if he ever was …

The man opened a briefcase, and pulled out a folder not too unlike the ones President Iwo had given her not moments ago, but with a white sticker on it with the name; Saotome Genma, and the banner of Child Services printed on the leather.

"You have been served," he grunted. "Make sure your husband get this, and tell him to meet in court within nine o'clock of the assigned date on the note inside. If he does not make an appearance, he will immediately lose any parenting rights to one Saotome Ranma, and will be sentenced to a ten year stretch in a high security prison in addition to any possible prison sentence he will be given pending the trial. If he resists detainment, he will double his sentence. Further punishment will be determined if it comes to that. Have a nice day." And with that, the man turned and entered a small, black limousine, which soon drove off for other errands.

Nodoka was once more in shock.

The only reason anyone would remove parenting privileges was if they were bad parents … _really_ bad parents …

What had her husband done to warrant this?

Surely, he wouldn't treat her son badly enough to warrant such extreme measures, would he?

She cracked open the folder and scanned through the charges against the man she loved, wed and bore a son for.

For every charge listed, her shock melted away to be replaced by cold fury. By the end, one wouldn't know whether to be burned or frozen by her flaring aura.

Genma would do well in staying away from her for another decade before he could think of returning to her without dire consequences.

"No-chan!" bellowed a certain fat, bald Martial Artist from where he was marching down the street towards her. "Our son has been hiding money from us in a bank in a different Ward! I demand you go and empty that account at once! He has no need for that money anymore!"

A wave of cold air washed over the man, frosting his glasses over, thereby blinding him from the violence that was rapidly approaching.

Ooh boy, this would not be pretty.

* * *

"Ugh," Ranma was not feeling well.

At first it had only been a slight uneasy feeling, but after he had set up a fire and started cooking the stew, which was made to make his ingredients last longer, the feeling had been growing until it felt like he didn't fit in his own skin. And now as the eclipse was about to reach its pique, Ranma felt about as miserable as the last time he ate some of Akane's cooking, only this time he didn't feel like throwing up.

His body was screaming for something, but Ranma had no idea what that something was, and he was barely able to move to get it if he did know.

Then the black lid that was the moon covered the sun completely, forming a ring of fire in the sky.

Ranma suddenly felt like he was set aflame, even if he was a safe distance from the cooking fire. He could not restrain a scream of pain, one that held a slight yowl to it due to his transformed nature.

Then the pain mixed with a tingling down his spine, just like when his curse was activated! He felt himself shrink, and shrink. He managed to open his eyes, and found the world so much larger than before. He felt his fangs extend just enough to peek out of the muzzle he just grew. He was a cat, but he knew of no cat that had such long teeth other than the Sabre-toothed tiger, and he was certainly not big enough to be a tiger, he had no stripes, and his canines weren't long enough to match those of the Smilodon. By his agony-based judgement, he was only slightly bigger than Shampoo was in her cursed form, perhaps the size of a lynx, and his agonised yowl was mostly that of an animal, with a mere hint of speech to it.

Another round of tingling mixed with the diminishing pain, and Ranma was nearly horrified to feel Mr Happy change into Ms Happy. Her fur was now still black, but as the light hit it in a certain way, there was a red sheen. She didn't feel much different from the last change other than gender, being about the same size. The pitch of the yowl went up one note.

The tingling returned and Ranma felt herself grow back to the same size she had been before the eclipse, but with feminine shapes and forms. Ranma was somewhat relieved that her breasts weren't as big as they used to be … she now knew there would be less stress on her spine, which would lead to less tension and back pains, not to mention a better sense of balance and easier to restrain where fighting and movement was concerned. The scream died, as the pain became manageable again.

The tingling came again, and Ranma felt herself shift forms, becoming the same height as she usually had in her male form before the transformation and banishment. The feminine charms and talents grew proportionally, which made her glad, as the weight removed from her back was not limited to the hybrid form. She was also slightly relieved to feel the tickle of reddish black hair down her neck, forming a mussed up pageboy cut if her senses were not misinforming her. She was human!

She absently managed to remind herself to either buy or make a top for when she was female again. Flashing every peeping tom because she lacked something to cover herself with would not do. Contrary to popular belief in Nerima, she _had_ learned some feminine modesty, she just didn't apply it because she didn't want anyone believing that she was getting too girly in covering herself up like a panicking girl.

Another tingle removed Ms Happy and the talented twins, and restored Mr Happy. The reddish black hair lost its red hue, and shortened once more to a neat trim. He was human, and a man again!

One final time, the tingling returned, and he felt himself change back to how he was before the eclipse.

The eclipse was over, and Ranma lay on the ground, grinning and exhausted.

He could return to human form! His flows of energy had changed exactly like in the weretigress when she demonstrated the change to him.

True, his pigtail was lost, and he still had a curse, but he wasn't stuck in what the weretigress called a hybrid form.

He could not recall a day he had been happier!

_Nothing_ could ruin his day!

-Sniff!-

What was that burned smell?

Ranma's eyes widened in realisation.

"My stew!"

* * *

Between the towns of Ryden and Tux, a hunting party of Amazons was waiting as the sun sets.

They were composed of giants and humans, all female, and all with well developed talents and skills. Some were Amazon Breeders, but most were Hunters.

This has been a long awaited occasion, and as such only the best were included.

The eclipse may have slowed it down by half a day or so, its mystic energies making it impossible to teleport or use teleportation scrolls for the few hours surrounding it, but their triumph would be no less sweet.

A hundred metres away from the awaiting party, a swirling portal suddenly sprung into existence, showing a mountain village walled in by giant logs, and surrounded by jungle on all sides.

Through this portal, another hunting party of Amazons stepped through, headed by what appeared to be a shrivelled monkey with long white hair, on a gnarled staff. The foreign Amazons were dressed more in armour and more cover, as opposed the local Amazons, who wore little more than Earth super models wore to the beach … and some weapons.

Once the Amazon hunting party was through the portal, it closed, and the Amazon Elder of Earth hopped forward on her staff. The leader of the local Amazon party stepped forward as well, until they met halfway.

The elder woman bowed humbly before the considerably younger.

"We, the Amazons of Juketsuzoku of the Earth Realm, humbly beg for the superior assistance of the Amazons of Jade in the search and capture of a wayward husband, and prime breeding material," the gravel like voice formally pleaded.

The other woman, seven foot tall, with brown hair tied into a high ponytail, and wearing a golden bikini for armour, and a spear for a weapon, smirked viciously.

"For breaking off with our tribe three thousand years ago, we _should_ decline your request without thought," she drawled, thoroughly enjoying the moment. The foreign Amazons seemed to become distressed at this, and fidgeted somewhat, but remained silent out of respect for their Elder. "But, we will accept your plea, and assist you in your search. Give us a description, and we shall find him, provided he has escaped to this Realm. And after we personally check if he is worthy of Breeding, we will hand him over to you. The price, however, was decided when your people left ours. Ten gold pieces per day our quest lasts, and ten times that upon completion. I hope you have enough, or the price will be paid in blood or with total, unquestioned, loyal service to our people for the rest of your mortal lives."

"We should have enough," groused Cologne.

"Very well, but you have been warned of the consequences if you can not pay," finished the hereto unnamed Amazon.

"Then let us get started."

* * *

On a boat in the harbour of Lrith, three rats are hiding in the storage room, their things stowed away in some dark corner.

"How come the old fart dropped us off on a different continent?" grumbled the male one.

"Because we f#&ing annoy him, jacka$$!" retorted the dark female one.

"Like, how long is this boat ride?" asked the last, purple, rat. "Like, my fur gets, like, frizzy with the, y' know, salty sea air, and I get, like, motion sickness!"

"What?" exploded Lydia, still in rat form. "You never had any trouble with airplanes, trains or cars!"

"I only, y' know, have that problems with, like, boats."

"Great," complained Romeo. "_Days_ at sea with a barfing rat! _Life can't get much worse than that_!"

"_Mew_!"

"What was that Moisha?"

"I didn't say anything," answered Moisha. " Lydia, why d' you mew, y' know, like a cat?"

No answer was heard, so the two turned to see what was wrong, and found the third member of their party staring in fear at a large, tiger-striped tomcat with a predatory gleam in his eyes.

"RUN!"

"Romeo you f#&! _You jinxed us_!"

* * *

Soun Tendo was sitting on the dirty floor of the dining room. A half empty cup of sake was sitting before him. He was staring at the potholed garden that had not more than a week ago been the pride of Nerima. The koi pond was now empty of fish, and had a burnt out fire next to it. The wall surrounding the compound was decorated with two large holes, most likely from the entrance and exit of a certain Lost Boy.

He had returned from the bar yesterday to find a note pinned to his youngest daughter's door, saying she was going on a training trip with Ryoga, and not to worry about what she would do for food. Apparently, Ryoga had plenty.

Soun was sad. All his daughters had abandoned him, and his wife was dead. He had little else to live for, and no significant income. Silent tears were making tracks down his face, staining his hakama, and making his moustache soggy.

Maybe the world would be better off without him …

-THUMP!-

Startled, Soun looked behind him, and saw his best friend, dirty, beaten, bruised and with cuts and rips decorating his person, lying on the ground. Some rolled up papers were sticking out of his pants for some reason, but that could wait.

"Saotome! What happened?" he asked worriedly.

A slight disagreement with my wife, replied the old fool through means of a sign, even if he was in human form.

"Why on earth would she do something like this?" demanded Soun. That woman was the epitome of a Japanese wife, what could have possessed her not only to actually do something like this to her husband?

I think she wants a divorce, replied Genma, silent tears streaking down his face. Oh, the pain! What did I do to deserve such punishment? 

"I know how you feel, old friend," replied Soun solemnly, shedding tears in sympathy for his friend. "I too know the sting to the heart caused by the loss of a loved one!"

No! She broke my ribs, and I'm lying on them! 


	7. Chapter 7

(Re-Posted January 11th 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

It was Brianna's first morning on Jade.

And it is indeed a fitting morning for it, as the sun is painting the sky in marvellous colours ranging from pale blue, purple, red and orange to yellow and pink.

The town of Seer's Hamlet is slowly starting to wake.

The subject of our scrutiny is also waking, aided greatly by the crowing of an overturned bowl … with wheels and painted on eyes?

No, this was a Peebo, one of many maniacal, semi-intelligent kamikaze robots, which Brianna had made and brought with her to Jade on her quest to restore life to a golem named Raphael that nearly ruined her sister's wedding because of his form as a male werecheetah. Most had wanted to end the wedding so that Britanny would revive the species with this apparent Werecheetah, but the plot to break Britanny and Stryyp apart was revealed by its instigator when Brunhilda "Mumsey" Brigand had come with the suggestion of having Raphael go to the Amazon Breeders, who were famed for their ninety-something percent pure blooded breeding even with single specimens.

The reason for this quest, was that Raphael had started to dissolve shortly after the plot was revealed, and only a jigsaw puzzle-like piece remained of him because it had been taken away before the body started to dissolve, and Brianna, knowing how it feels to suddenly be faced with life and no independent memories, wanted Raphael to at least have that. She knew that the only place she could get the assistance she needed was in the Realm of Jade, as her father, excellent aura mage as he was, would not understand her request … someone here was bound to.

Upon arrival in Seer's Hamlet, the hidden town in the middle of a desert made up mostly of dry grass that needed only a small amount of water, and survived on the rain that fell only every six years or so, she was approached by a member of the Edge Guard, and joined them at the tavern, the Brass Bone, run by a golden dragon in human form. There she had learned that someone had been going around kidnapping magic users for a while. The werejaguar named Sheila barely voiced her suspicion of the mysterious werecat roaming the desert when Brianna's escort, Gar, Sheila's brother, pointed out that Brianna had arrived with two magic users, and it would be important to check on them and let them know of the danger. They had arrived at the Inn to find the kidnappers had already attempted to shanghai the two, and the confrontation piqued during the solar eclipse, where Gar had entered the Lunar Rage and sent the strongest instigator flying … literally. This was quite a feat against a Weapons-Master.

It was after the eclipse had passed that everyone noticed that Brianna's appearance had changed drastically. Her hair had gained _very_ visible cheetah spots, lost some height and _talent_, her ears had become human, she had grown cheetah fur and a tail, and the final touch was that her eye stripe had changed sides from the left side of her face to the right.

Brianna yawned and stretched in her bed, drifting out of a pleasant night's sleep.

This was how everyone should wake up. Not those annoying buzzing sounds that most modern people of Earth insisted on. That sound could drive anyone batty after a while.

The room and surroundings may be a little primitive, but that was part of the charm of this world.

The door carefully creaked open, and a head normally covered in hair with rings on it peeked through. Now, though, the owner was in human form instead of the hybrid form.

"Brianna?" whispered Sheila carefully, not yet in complete view of the woman. "Brianna, are you awake?"

Brianna finished her yawn before she answered.

"oh … g' morn'n Sheila," she answered somewhat loudly, ridding herself of the remains of her yawn.

"Shhhh!" hissed Sheila. "You'll wake up the fellas!" she added in a whisper.

She stepped inside and overlooked the waking of the semi-werecheetah.

"And I want to get in a quick bath before they muck up the pond … so hurry up, or I'm leaving without you!"

Brianna sat up in bed and looked at the giant of a woman that had stepped into her room. She was only wearing something that barely was large enough to cover her breasts and lower parts, but they were both girls, so there wasn't anything to be embarrassed about.

"Huh?" she mumbled, still slightly incoherent. "Oh yeah … "Pond" … hot running water is a foreign concept on this world …"

Brianna smacked her lips.

"Lemme get my towel 'n stuff."

She finished with another yawn.

Shelia shook her head at the woman.

"Don't knock it until you've tried it city-girl." She declared in a superior whisper. "You probably won't want to go back to your _dinky little bathtub_ ever again!" she paused and watched as Brianna scratched her head to assist in waking up faster. "And by the way … why did you come to Jade anyway-"

She ended her question before it finished, as the other woman waved her free hand in the air and got her bathing supplies to float into it.

"Huh?" asked Brianna absently, still not completely awake. "Oh yeah … I'm –YAWN- on a … quest … er sumthin'."

Sheila was seriously confused.

"Brianna?" the woman walked past her. "Did you just?" Brianna scratched her head again and was nearly out the door. "I mean, how did you get your towel – and …" seeing that the woman wasn't paying attention, she sighed. "Never mind …"

As they left the room, Brianna groggily muttered to herself. "Hmmm … 'feel lighter in the front …"

They walked outside in silence.

Once outside, Sheila gestured to the body of water stretching out before them.

"Well, here we are …" she started. "I poured a "Purify-Water" potion in it last night. Mosquitos and pests hate that stuff! Should be fresh and clean until tonight."

"Hmm," moaned Brianna sceptically, "A little chilly out, isn't it? I can even feel it through this fur …"

Brianna removed her nightgown and started toeing the water.

"Oh, that reminds me, Sheila … why did you change form from your lycanthrope hybrid form? And why is your hybrid for so _small_ while your human form is so _huge_?"

"Well …" started Sheila as she loosened her own gown, "… I wouldn't say "_huge_" …" she muttered to the side. "I have a small birth defect." She explained. "All of my werejaguar power, speed and … um … _size_ …" she emphasised, "were granted to my _human_ form instead of my hybrid form.

"I switched to human form because the pond's a bit deep in some places … and I'm a _bad_ swimmer."

By now, Brianna had gotten waist-deep, and quite a surprise.

"Hey!" she nearly purred in satisfaction. "It's _warm_!" in an undertone, she added, "Not bad!"

Sheila toed the water as well. "The water comes from nearby hot springs." She explained. "I told you you'd like it!"

She hadn't even submerged her first foot entirely before the peace the two women had was broken.

"Hello Ladies!" called a suave voice. There was a definite undertone of lecherous delight in it.

Sheila was surprised, then angry as she saw a nude Tirga emerge from behind a rock in the pond.

"I didn't expect you to be up so early … what a lovely surprise!" he commented. The lecherous undertones were even clearer by now, and his roaming eyes did little to deny it. "And I must admit, you both look exceptionally "exciting" this morning. Especially you, Brianna!"

Brianna, not prepared for such a sight, and with a weakness for men that she had little control over, blushed and stammered out a "H-h-hi, Tirga …" in a husky tone.

Sheila was more annoyed than embarrassed.

"Ahem … Tirga … _do you mind_?" there was no misunderstanding the irritation in her tone.

"Of course, Sheila. I'll be going now." Stated Tirga politely as he made his way for the water's edge. "I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable." Mentally, he chuckled and added, Phase one complete …

Sheila and Brianna watched as the man got out and left. Sheila was slightly disappointed that her time was over, and that she wasn't allowed as big blowouts as she had a few days ago until a few weeks from now. Still, she was annoyed with Tirga, and noticed, as it was really hard not to, that Brianna seemed hungry for the man.

Note to self … give Tirga six hundred and one _kapowies_ for this half-baked stunt!

-Sigh!-

I have a feeling this won't be the last one he pulls … now that he's marked Brianna for his next _conquest_!

"Show's _over_, Brianna … now, about your quest …"

Brianna was too occupied with watching the retreating weretiger to hear her.

"Jinkies! I had no idea how big and _handsome_ his-"

Her statement was interrupted by Sheila turning Brianna's head to her.

Oh, right … my … uh … what was I saying?

Sheila saw the reaction, and decided to give the confused woman some sound advice.

"_Look_, Brianna. You're my friend, so I'm going to set you _straight_!" the tall woman started sternly. "Tirga is a great pal, a terrific team-mate, but a _lousy_ boyfriend! I've seen it happen over and over again with _scores_ of love-struck gals! _Don't fall for him_! It'll only lead to heartbreak _disaster_! Two words … _STAY AWAY_!"

Brianna took a moment to realise what was said, and when she did, she playfully crossed her arms over her exposed chest and grinned mischievously at the other woman.

"Why, Sheila … I do believe … you're _JEALOUS_!"

"I – am _NOT JEALOUS_!"

In her embarrassment, Sheila misjudged her strength and rapped Brianna over the head, like one normally does to friends upon being ridiculed, but the result of a werecreature that misjudged her strength in that slap was Brianna smashing face first into the water and floated around unconscious.

* * *

Ranma was driving through the desert.

It wasn't much of an entertainment, but it was all he had to do except a few kata to keep in shape, and he'd done those before he started driving again.

He had experimented a great deal with the shifting forms the night before, and early this morning. And since he had so little in the way of clothes with him, being human, or being female was not much of an option. If he was female, he would have to cover up the chest somehow, and he simply had no top to put on, and if he was human, anyone who saw him and connected his tracks would know he was the werecat that had helped with the bandits.

This morning he had attached windshields, (glass was surprisingly easy to make in a desert even if most of it was grass,) doors and the rest of the exterior components of the car, making it appear whole … until one looked inside and saw only the necessary components for driving, no lighting for any luxuries and only the driver's seat. He would add more later … after all, there was no rush. He was only driving by day, so there was no need for headlights, and there was no traffic so there was no need for a tail light. He had no passengers, so he had no need for extra seats. There wasn't a chance of any transmitters anywhere in this Realm, so there was no need for a Radio. He was in control of his aura, enabling him to cool or heat his surroundings according to his needs, so there was no need for air conditioning.

Ranma was pondering what to do about what he should add next when he saw smoke rising in the distance.

According to what the women he had freed said, there should be no other towns but Seer's Hamlet in this desert, so smoke formations like that could only mean trouble. He set course directly for it.

Within moments, he came upon the sight of the smoking remains of another caravan.

That's two caravans within a week that has been attacked. How many bandits are there? Where are all those soldier patrols I heard about?

Ranma stopped and examined the scene of the raid.

Corpses by the dozen littered the ground between burning wagons, and many looked to have been running for it, only to get hit with either energy blasts or arrows. Notably absent were the women under the age of forty. Sure, there was one or two scattered here and there, but from the looks of things, they had gotten in between the bandits and the small troop of soldiers selected to escort the caravan, and perished in the crossfire.

Thankfully, there were no children with this caravan, or they may not have been spared.

One or two wagons were missing, as the tracks and gaps in the chain of burning wagons told clearly.

The bandits must have loaded those wagons full of prisoners and loot before taking off.

Ranma got a small amount of pleasure in the knowledge that the bandits hadn't escaped unscathed. The corpses of some rather grizzly looking men in equally grizzly clothes were proof of that. The colourings of the clothes were specifically made to blend with this terrain, so these people could not be part of the caravan.

Seeing the direction of the tracks was leading towards one of the areas there was supposed to be small mountains in the desert, Ranma knew that's where they were going. The mountain would be a logical spot to seek shelter.

Ranma, fuelled by cold fury, jumped into the car, and set off following the tracks.

He would exact revenge for the dead, and return the kidnapped to Seer's Hamlet which was where they were headed for.

* * *

"So good of you both to come on such short notice …" a concerned old werelion mage intoned gratefully. "Normally, curses are no problem … but this one …"

Standing before him was a floating dummy that looked like a bowling pin, with long sleeves for arms and glasses for eyes, and exaggerated eyebrows and moustache hanging on his nose. A squiggly line was made across each arm. Next to him stood a dwarf, receding hairline going all the way around the top of his head. His ears came to slight points, and he was wearing big robes and was making notations on a clipboard with a quill.

"Ohohohoho!" laughed the dummy. "Say no more, friend Gaja … You've helped Dee'em and me _countless_ times in the _past_-"

"And I'm more than willing to take a few moments from guiding my young pupils to help in an emergency." Finished the dwarf, Dee'em, making it clear by his tone that he'd rather be there than with his students. "Let's see now …"

"By the way, Dee'em …" muttered the dummy, "How's that boy of yours working out? The scaredy-cat …"

"Oh, Eric? He's fine … a bit of a flake, though …" answered Dee'em. "How's that Strife boy of late, Bugie?"

"He married the Lockheart girl last month …" answered Bugie.

There was a bit of rifling of paper and quill scratching for a little while, no one having anything to say while Dee'em made his calculations.

"Ah!" exclaimed Dee'em after a little while. "Here we are … a simple combination of aura spells should solve this dilemma … we simply divide the girl's two forms into two separate bodies … then we may safely remove the curse without harming the girl."

"Excellent, Dee'em! You are a genius!"

"I know …"

* * *

Ranma had been driving for over an hour before he came over where the bandits had made camp along a cliff.

It was getting dark, and the bonfires near the centre of the camp were providing illumination to the activities that went on in the shade of the mountain. It did not make Ranma pleased.

Scattered here and there were bandits, drinking strong spirits, feasting on what fresh food they had gotten their hands on, and some of the more daring ones had pulled girls from where they were chained against the mountain side out to where everyone could see them, and started making sport of tearing their clothes apart piece by piece around the women's resisting struggles. One or two had gotten past that, and were on to humiliation, by being tied to poles in ways that they were exposed to the world and with no way to cover themselves. One of them even seemed to have lost control of her bladder and bowel, as seen at the foot of the pole she was tied to.

Ranma decided these bastards would not get to the third stage of the agenda, which could be either physical torture or rape, which acted as physical _and_ mental torture.

The guards were a joke. They were much too distracted with the goings on in the camp to even spare a moment to look for any approaching persons.

These idiots were the first to get knocked out by an invisible fist.

* * *

Unknown to both parties of the events, the scene was already being observed by a patrol. They had come over the tracks, same as Ranma had, and followed them, circling off when they approached the mountain, and were at that moment watching from atop the cliff for when the bandits went to sleep so they could surprise them and round them up. The women were the distraction the soldiers needed for the bandits to lose control of their habitat. The women were pawns … expendable, yet important to the game.

They did not expect to see several guards along the outer dunes of the camp to suddenly go limp and keel over for no apparent reason.

Nor could they anticipate the events that were to follow …

* * *

Ranma, cloaked in his new and improved Umi-Sen-Ken, made his way to the middle of the camp.

It appeared that he was just in time, because judging by that one man's fiddling with the strings of his pants, things would happen very soon.

"EVERYONE! I HAVE YOU SURROUNDED! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TAKE HOSTAGES OR FLEE, BECAUSE YOU WILL GET CAUGHT, AND PUNISHED MORE BRUTALLY FOR MAKING ME WASTE MY BREATH!" he yelled out, using his ki to persuade the chi of the area into bouncing his voice around more efficiently than normal sound, making it impossible to tell where the origin of the voice was.

All activity halted instantly the moment the demand had been called out. Then the meaning came across, and every bandit started laughing.

An understandable reaction. There were over one hundred of them, and as his demand had indicated, there was only one of him. One can understand why the demand was thought to be so amusing.

"Wester!" called one of them, while laughing, apparently he was the leader if his order was any indication. "Scan the area and find our new jester!"

One of the bandits stood up, revealing a black and tight suit under his robes, a mage if Ranma's memory served from the descriptions of the world the women he had rescued a few days earlier gave him.

The mage placed his hands to his temple, and seemed in deep thought. Ranma felt something brushing against his area, and pulled the cloaking closer, tighter. He decided to remember what the man was doing for further experimentation later.

"There's no one here!" yelled the mage after a short while.

"What do you mean, no one's here?" demanded the leader, ending his laughter.

"I sense no thoughts of anyone but our own men!" replied the mage. "If it's an aura mage, he might be using Invisibility and Mask Presence at once, there's nothing I can do to penetrate it unless I know exactly where he is!"

"There he is!" yelled one of their number, pointing to the entrance of a tent, where a black werecat was standing without a worry.

"Don't just stand there like a bunch of rotting posts! Get him!" commanded the leader.

Crossbows loaded and fired, but the werecat dodged and ducked out of the paths of the bolts as though they were snails trapped in molasses out to attack him and he was a hummingbird dancing around the slow attacks. Several bandits grabbed their weapons of choice, and rushed in, swinging them wildly in hopes of hitting him.

Again, the werecat ducked and weaved through it all, making it appear as though they were slower than the tides.

Finally, after ten bandits had been punched out, fifteen injured from the werecat's fist, feet, and redirecting blade attacks, one of their number managed to stab his sword through the werecat's shoulder.

The thing gaped in pain, then dissolved into a small pile of dirt.

"False Input!" exclaimed the mage in horror. "It can only be the Illusion spell of False Input! He's tricking us into taking ourselves apart with clever illusions!"

"If he's using your kind of spells, why can't you find him?" demanded the leader, now having gotten to his feet, and grabbed his studded shield and mace. If more of those things came into being, he would be ready.

"I don't know!" yelled the mage in frustration. "I can't sense anyone drawing on the Ethereal stream! And if he is holding the Invisibility and Mask Presence spells, he needs to remain completely still, any movement can make him drop the spells! That's why he somehow managed to conjure that False Input spell!"

"Then sweep the area!" demanded the leader of his bandits. "Leave no blade of grass unturned, not crevice unchecked! If he is in this camp, he will be found, and I mean now!"

Ranma could barely keep from laughing. These idiots were just too much. But he did at least manage to distract them from going as far as raping anyone. Perhaps he needed to spice things up?

* * *

Up on top of the cliff, the soldiers were stunned by what they were seeing.

"Some idiot mage adventurer is about to get himself killed," observed one of the more experienced ones.

"He can make it!" protested one of the younger ones. "You saw how good he was, I bet he'll make it!"

"I'll take that bet!" put a third in. "I bet three silver pieces that he doesn't make it!"

"Count me in!" called a fourth.

"All right, but you'll owe me," warned the lad.

"No, no, you'll owe us!" the three that bet against countered.

"Na-ah!"

"Ya-ha!"

"Na-ah!"

"Ya-ha!"

"Mom!"

We'll just leave these brave defenders of the area to their intelligent conversation.

* * *

Twelve werecats, completely identical, suddenly appeared all over camp, and started attacking anything that was moving, but wasn't restrained by shackles or rope.

The mage could no longer claim the werecats were illusions, as he got a solid hit to the nose to disprove it.

All across camp, there was fighting and screaming. Bandits tried to escape the carnage, but whenever they tried, one of the twelve would appear and throw them back to the middle of the camp.

Meanwhile, Ranma casually strolled through camp, ducked the occasional flying bandit, and released the women. His claws glowed a dull white as he cut through metal bonds like they were wet noodles. He told the women to stay together along the cliff, and not run anywhere until he came back, to which they nodded fearfully. They were of course still in shock from having been kidnapped, shackled, and some nearly raped after they had been humiliated.

Ranma returned to battle, and started doing what his clones were doing … beating the bandits so badly, they didn't know which person was the enemy, and which was the ally, which accounted for one or two fatalities among them.

Finally, after ten brutal minutes, only the leader of the bandits remained conscious, but only because his four long limbs were being restrained by two werecats.

"Release me!" the man screamed, and tried to get his limbs free. "I know the rules you heroes play by, you can- gurk!"

Ranma had grabbed the man's neck and lifted him into the air with ease.

"Now, now," tutted Ranma, the clones around camp dissolved into dirt. "Why would I do a fool thing like release you?"

"Gurk!"

"Exactly, you can't speak," confirmed Ranma. "And I won't listen, d' you know why?"

The man did not reply, but was turning a fetching shade of purple from the lack of our favourite gas … oxygen.

"Because you did not listen to the women you had at your mercy, now I have you at mine," finished Ranma. "However, it would be a shame to kill you, when it would be so much more fun to leave you to _them_."

As he said that, he slackened his grip somewhat, allowing the man to breathe, and Ranma turned the man around to see the women slowly approaching, anger, relief and shock apparent on their faces. Shock at their previous situation, relief that they were free again, and anger at the bandits that had done this to them.

"So, should I leave you to them?" asked Ranma conversationally.

"No!" pleaded the man. "They'll kill me!"

"Why shouldn't they?" asked Ranma coolly. He was deep in the Soul of Ice to manage to hold his expression. "You would eventually have them killed, when they started to become a burden instead of entertainment …"

"Please!" screamed the leader, seeing the women starting to realise what they would now be able to do. "You're a hero! You're not supposed to let anyone get hurt! Just lock me up! I'll go peacefully! I'll serve eternity in jail without complaining! _Just don't let them get me_!"

By the end of his begging, the man was starting to sob and cry, not unlike how the three women that were humiliated had begged before they lost their dignity.

"Tell you what," decided Ranma after a moment. "I'll let you sleep on it, g' night!"

-THWAK!-

"Damn, that man had a hard skull …" muttered Ranma. He wasn't hurt, but he could still recognise when someone was hard to injure by normal human standards.

* * *

"Why don't you big bad wizards fight back?" demanded Grave, the evil side of Brianna's personality. "Are you afraid? Am I too strong for you?" she was gloating. These people had managed to separate her from Brianna, but were incapable of fighting back when she attacked. Maybe making her own light out of Britanny's and Gina's shadow would be easier than she thought. "In any case, you moldy ol' geezers are gonna taste my wrath for trying to bump me off!"

"I've got your wrath right here!" cried Brianna at her evil half. "But first I want you to say hello to my little friend! Something I stashed away in my hotel room for just such an emergency! L.B.D! Get your butt _down here_!"

For a moment, it seemed like nothing was happening.

"In a moment, the only thing L.B.D. will mean for you is "Long Bloody Death", Brianna!" challenged Grave. "Guess what, I don't need you anymore! I can kill Gina and Brit now! So you _DIE_!"

Brianna stood defiantly and stared at her evil half.

"Yeah! That's it! Keep talkin' smack! Don't even look behind you or anything …"

Grave looked over her shoulder to see something large headed right for her.

"Aah!" good thing I didn't think she was bluffing! "Ma-Magic Barrier!"

"Cluster bombs! _Use the cluster bombs, R2_!" yelled Brianna at the Approaching object. "Dang A.I. can't hit a thing!"

"B-Bombs! What about my clinic?" screamed Nali in despair.

eeeeeeEEEEEEEEEE-BOOOOOOOM!

* * *

Ranma had just finished tying up the bandits.

He used all his skills within the art of escape and evasion to make sure they would not find a way to get loose from the shackles and ropes he secured them with.

The women had been very grateful. In fact, he had to remain within the Soul of Ice to keep some of the women from _rewarding_ him. At one point, he had to pull up his pants because one of the women had started loosening the ties holding them up.

When he started tying up the bandits, he had to order the women to go through the tents, get some clothes to wear for some, and then order everyone to go into those tents to sleep.

Ranma himself decided to go to sleep curled up in front of the bonfire.

A nice nap always helped cheer him up after a fight of fury.

* * *

Up on top of the cliff, three soldiers were grumbling about the unfairness of it all as they parted with their money.

"Come to poppa!" laughed the lucky soldier that bet that the werecat would win. He had heard about the werecat that was supposed to roam the desert, and didn't want to be known to underestimate him. Of course, the werecat was supposed to be bigger …

"Stop foolin' around and get to work, the cat's asleep." Growled the dwarf in charge of this patrol.

* * *

On the western continent, headed for Lrith City, was the large hunting party of Amazons.

"What makes you say my wayward son-in-law is in this "Seer's Desert"?" asked Cologne as she hopped along side the busty woman that was the leader of this party.

"Rumours," was the brief answer. "Rumours say that not much more than a week ago, about the time your son-in-law was banished, bandits on a raid were beaten by a single werecat of unknown species. He fits the description you have given us, if one weeds out the growth that is the result of rumour mills. Two days later, he supposedly freed nearly a hundred slave women from the hideout of those bandits."

"That sounds like my son-in-law, all right," chuckled Cologne. "He simply cannot allow for anyone to suffer from decisions of fools, and cannot allow the weak and defenceless be beaten by unfair odds."

"We are the best," replied the proud Amazon. "If they are on Jade, we can find anyone."

* * *

On a ship between Lrith City and Trinc, a celebration was taking place.

Three rats had just outsmarted a cat.

Moisha, acting as bait, had triggered an old-fashioned rabbit trap. A big, overturned bucket supported only by a stick, which was kicked out of the way when the cat was under the bucket, and Moisha had slipped out, causing the bucket to fall and trap the cat within. A gnawed rope caused heavy bags of flour to fall over the bucket, weighing the thing down enough for the cat to be unable to move it.

The three rats were ecstatic, as now they only had to contend with Moisha's motion sickness.

* * *

Author's Notes; Whew, this chapter had many sloppy spelling errors! I have a feeling that I didn't get them all, but please inform me if you see any errors at all, and I will try my best to correct it. 


	8. Chapter 8

(Re-Posted January 11th 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

"Ugh," groaned Ranma.

He was having a very bad headache, and his mouth felt like it was full of cotton.

"When did desert ground get so hard and cold?" he mumbled, ignored the empty tin-box echo, and rolled over … into a cold, smooth and hard wall. "Huh?"

This instantly woke Ranma, making him forget about headaches and strange sensations in the mouth.

It was dark, only slight illumination, and the light that came in came from inch thick cracks along the ceiling of the small room he was in. The room was shaped like an octagon box, and he was inside. The walls were metal, the ceiling was metal and the floor was metal. He was able to stand upright inside at the moment, but in normal form, he would not.

Feeling the wall, both with his hands and chi senses, he recognised the feel of silver. The ceiling had a similar feel to it. Only the floor was made of very well forged steel. Extending his fingers outside the crack, he felt that the outside was not silver, but the same metal the floor was made of.

Extending his ki like a probe, he found that the easiest way out would be to lift the top off, as it was fastened on pegs sticking out of the walls, making it impossible to slide away … almost like lego blocks ... The second choice would be to pound the walls until they caved, or use ki projectiles to get the same result. The first choice was his final decision, as it would not attract as many guards as the other options.

Sending sonar-like pulses of ki, Ranma got response from the outside chi about what surrounded him, which was nothing but a large stone room with one door made of metal bars, and a hallway with many similar empty and filled rooms along it.

Not only that, he seemed to be dressed in striped cotton pants and shirt. Prison clothes right out of the old westerns.

It was painfully obvious that he was in prison, but the question was; why? What had he done to warrant being imprisoned?

Whatever it was, he had no plans of staying put. He didn't much like being locked up, and no stinking box would hold him.

Bracing his legs against the sides of the box, Ranma placed his hands on the lid of the box, and pushed upwards.

Metal grinded against metal as the very heavy lid was lifted from its pegs.

It greatly surprised Ranma that there were no traps to prevent escape, but he wasn't about to curse his own good luck.

With some impressive balancing efforts, Ranma silently placed the lid against the wall before exiting the box, and returning the lid to the top of the box. He walked about his cell for a little bit, and noted that there was an inscription on the side of the box.

"Mage Cage," muttered Ranma. "Dwarven Steel, silver lining. Must be a lousy company not to add security measures … criminals must escape all the time!"

Ranma decided to continue with his escape and went up to the bars.

"Thick steel … not old … no rust … no corrosion … no problem!" smirked Ranma.

Ranma placed one hand on one bar and the other on the neighbouring one, and pulled.

The loud screeching of metal bending rapidly when it really didn't want to spread down the hallway.

-Rumble-

"Huh?" Ranma stuck his head out the opening he had made and saw something moving rapidly down the hall. Thinking he had been discovered, Ranma returned inside, bent the bars back into position and hid behind the Mage Cage.

An alarm sounded, which turned out to be guards calling for assistance.

A hulking form in similar clothes and with a form that made it clear it was a female, even if it was about twelve feet tall, came into view and tore out the bars with similar ease Ranma had, and loomed inside.

To escape from sight, Ranma slipped into his own version of Umi-Sen-Ken, evolved from his father's version, but differing in that it was never meant as a tool for thievery. Ranma's version was a means of escaping his suitors or rivals when he wanted a moment of peace, based in part on various manga and anime he had come across. And since this was not a sealed technique, he could safely use it without breaking the code of a Martial Artist. It was a more meticulous form of invisibility, and could not be detected by the absence of chi in his surroundings.

The giant woman grabbed hold of the lid of the Mage Cage and ripped it off, slinging it across the room and hall, embedding it in the wall of the hall.

"WHAT?" the giant woman rumbled in disbelief. "WHERE THE H# IS HE?"

The call of a guard down the hall caught the woman's attention.

"NO TIME, NEED TO RUN!" the woman roared and took off down the hall.

Ranma decided to follow, as she seemed to know the way out.

While following the woman, he noticed a much smaller woman, slightly larger than his normal form, clinging to the back of the giant woman, also clad in the same suit as Ranma and the huge woman. If it wasn't for the lack of a stripe down the left eye and the lack of spots in the hair, however pale the spots may be, she would have fit the description of the mad cat-woman the supernatural evil beings he had encountered after the transformation gave him. The cat-woman that scared them witless.

Ranma could only watch in awe as the huge woman crashed through stone walls, leapt up tree branches and crashed through the saucer shaped buildings. Still, he had to follow, as she knew the way out. He dropped the Umi-Sen-Ken in favour of increasing his endurance to the debris created from the mad dash of the huge woman, and to keep up.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Dragon's Jaw Inn, a meeting was taking place.

"Gar …?" Onoli looked at the serious male jagwere, sipping his beverage. "Sheila …?" the female jagwere sat there morosely, nursing her drink. "This mission has been particularly stressful for the both of you … and it shows!" the werelion blurted. "Want to talk about this?"

"Onoli … we're getting our butts _kicked_!" sighed Sheila. "This sheriff's used law loopholes to strip us of authority in this hamlet …" she sighed deeply again. "We couldn't even save Brianna …"

Gar had nothing to add to the matter, and remained silent.

"Just like we couldn't save Gaja … just like we couldn't save those _kidnap victims_! Face it Onoli … we're losing!"

"We can't give up now, Sheila …" admonished Onoli. "Everyone's counting on us!"

Finally, Gar had something to add.

"Onoli … you're not the one who has to break the news of Brianna's imprisonment to her parents!" he grumbled. "Julia's _my_ sensei … what am I going to say to her?" Gar took a sip of his beverage.

As luck would have it, Julia Brigand Diggers, Arms-Master of Jade, had stopped by the Dragon's Jaw Inn for a bite to eat, hoping she would get a discount for her meal because of her status, and heard someone mention her name and that of her daughter in a familiar fashion as she walked by.

Looking around, she saw her old student, Gar.

"Hi, Gar!" she called out melodiously.

She was slightly surprised to see her student spit out the mouthful of whatever in shock and surprise.

"M-Mrs Diggers?" exclaimed Sheila in equal surprise, and dread … this reaction was suspicious.

"Surprise! I heard you mention Brianna's and my names and I've got to tell you, I'm relieved!" said Julia as she approached their table. "Gina mentioned that her sister might visit Jade … I feel a lot better now that I know my _star pupil's_ looking out for her …" she readjusted her backpack. "And by the way, Gar … she's looking for a boyfriend!" she added in a sing-song voice.

Gar gulped, very nervous about the damage his former teacher would inflict upon him at the news he was about to deliver.

"Sensei … I- I have something to tell you … s-something happened … it's – it's about Brianna …"

"Ooooohkay, what about my youngest child?" asked Julia, dread starting to form in the pit of her stomach.

-FAK!-

Whatever was wrong, Julia was not told, as a giant fist smashed through the floor, surprising a great deal of people.

Out of the hole came a giant female shape, carrying a map, complaining humorously about having taken a wrong turn in Albuquerque and for the smaller form clinging to her to hold on tighter.

"A rock giant! It's an attack!" someone screamed.

"It's a jail break! That stone giant's a criminal!" exclaimed Julia in correction. "And that girl with her … it's -"

Before the sentence was complete, the rock giant crashed on through the Inn, with her passenger.

Shortly following this pair was a black werecat not too unlike the Edge Guard member Thropan, who did not stop to look around, but followed the pair. Like the other two, this male werecat was wearing a prison uniform.

* * *

Ranma stayed right on the heels of the huge woman, through buildings, over houses and up trees.

About a kilometre or two out of the town, the huge woman stopped her leaping, and set the smaller woman down before handing her a small bottle of pills.

"Hey," called Ranma as he came closer. "Why were you trying to free me? And would you happen to know why I was arrested?"

Suddenly there were more women there.

"And why did you call me "sister"?" added the dizzy woman that had been clinging to the large woman during the escape.

"You, werecat, ended up in jail because you had _technology_ on you," said the woman in a green and tight suit and held out a digital wrist-watch Ranma had been keeping in his pants because the chances of survival for it on his wrist were slimmer than a cooked and stuffed, juicy turkey passing unscathed through an all-you-can-eat buffet in a fat camp. "And as everyone knows, technology is forbidden! The question remains, how did you get out of your Mage Cage?"

"Oh, that's simple …" answered Ranma lightly.

"Yes?"

"It's … a secret!" laughed Ranma. He loved that joke, it made people fall all over themselves in shock. Just like everyone but himself and the other prisoner crashed face first into the desert floor. The other prisoner was still too woozy from the bouncy ride. Speaking of which, where was that huge woman?

"What about being my sister?" asked the woman, regaining some composure. "We're _not_ related!"

"Oh, but we are …" protested a woman with pink hair in a spiky ponytail and with square glasses.

"We are most definitely sisters …" continued an old woman dressed like a judge next to her. There still remained a sheen of pink to her meticulously arranged hair.

"Though we aren't related by blood …" continued the pink haired one with the ponytail. "… we are related in spirit!"

Ranma tuned out this speech, not really caring about why the woman was how she was, or how she managed to become so many different people. He instead focused on the town they had come from, even if the town itself was out of sight by now thanks to whatever was keeping it hidden. He knew that they would have company soon, and he was not very eager to return to prison … especially since he hadn't done anything to begin with.

"More than anyone in existence, Brianna … we know how you feel …"

Ranma tuned the woman back out. Did she _ever_ stop taking?

Ah! What do we have here? Small spots in the distance … hmmm … must have covered more ground than I thought if our pursuers look that small …

"Er … what favour?" asked the woman named Brianna. Uh-oh, time to tune back in! Hey, who's the new guy?

A werecat with cheetah skin had suddenly come into being next to him.

"Yeah! What favour?" asked the Werecheetah, scratching his own head. "Brianna, what are we talking about?"

The pink haired woman was facing away, but had her head turned over her shoulder.

"It's really quite simple! I need a hero!" she drawled. "I need you to act super-heroic when the time comes … no fleeing … no sneaky stuff … just gutsy, death-defying heroic hero stuff! I'll handle the rest!"

Ranma turned to see that the specks had grown somewhat, not approaching the size of ants.

"Oh, wow!" gasped the new guy in awe. "Hey, Brianna! Look at that great big walking statue!"

Ranma turned around again to see a rock foot the size of a house crash into the ground in front of him. He looked up and saw …

"Hey," he commented, filling a silent, shocked period. "That's Elvis Presley! Funny … somehow he seems taller in real life …"

"Rrrruuuun!" screamed the woman named Brianna, and started pulling the new guy with her.

Ranma, feeling somewhat responsible for the town this thing was headed for, did not run away, but rather ran and jumped onto the leg of the thing, digging his fingers into the stone for holds.

OK, this thing is made of stone, a very strong material, and it probably had very few weaknesses, and its humanoid, which means it only has two legs … easy!

Using his ki-strengthened claws to dig hand holds, Ranma climbed upwards and upwards.

After two of the giant's steps, Ranma was at its knees, and jabbed his finger into its joint. "Bakusai Tenketsu!" he screamed loudly.

A violent explosion of rock caused the entire thing to shudder, and on its third step, it fell face forward into the ground.

* * *

A few moments earlier, inside the control room of the giant golem.

"All systems check out … I only wish Spellvis hadn't modified the golem's appearance so much …" sighed Tirant. The Earth realm super-villain was at the controls. "Still … the rubber soles add a considerable amount of _stealth_."

Tirant looked out the window in contemplation. Two small figures could be seen fleeing in terror.

"_Now_, let me see … who should I conquer _first_ …" he wondered aloud.

"I-I suppose a-any kingdom of Jade will do …" stuttered Array nervously.

"Why so nervous, darling?" asked Tirant in partial concern. "After all … we're inside one of the most powerful war artefacts in existence with your beloved at the controls …"

"EXACTLY!" replied one of Arrays' personalities. "Shhh!"

-BOOOOM!-

The entire thing started to shudder and Tirant lost all control of the golem as it started to fall.

"What the-?" exclaimed the bald man.

"Abandon ship!" exclaimed a personality of Arrays'. "MAYDAY!"

* * *

Ranma leapt off the golem a moment before it hit the ground, and walked over to the two now stationary people he had been with only a few moments ago.

"That takes care of that …" commented Ranma and dusted himself off.

Now seemed like a good a time as any to introduce himself to the two.

"Hi, I'm Ranma, sorry 'bout this!"

-CRRRRRK!-

-rumble-Rumble-_RUMBLE_-_CRASH_!-

Ranma turned around to see a giant hole in the ground where the most of the golem's weight had been centred. It must have been deep, because there was no visible evidence of the thing's existence.

"Ooops!" chirped Ranma.

The two stared at Ranma, apparently not knowing if they should be terrified of him, or awed.

"Ehem!"

Brianna turned around in shock, and was immediately embarrassed.

"M-_Mom_!" she exclaimed. "Uh-ohhhh!"

Beyond Brianna stood a woman in a rather revealing bikini outfit with a few veils tucked in here and there, probably in her late thirties, with red hair, and a ticked off expression. She even had her arms crossed under her breasts, which along with her figure seemed to have held up remarkably to the ravages of time, and children … this posture was never a good sign for Ranma, and probably not for this Brianna either.

"You have got a _lot_ of explaining to do, young lady!" the woman, Brianna's mother, told her sternly.

* * *

Back on Earth, Nodoka was looking over her new apartment.

It was done. She had gotten a divorce from her no-good husband, ex-husband now. The court had been very sympathetic with her case. She had been abandoned by him over a decade ago, with no word from him. If it hadn't been for the occasional family that appeared at her door demanding restitution for something he did or promised them, she could have had Genma declared legally dead with no objections. But as it stood, she hadn't, nor had she filed for divorce sooner.

Nodoka was amazed at how quickly she was able to get a court appointment. Nabiki confessed to having pulled a few strings with a junior secretary that owed her money from High School, which revealed the cause for the speed of it all.

Genma had failed to make an appearance. Nodoka knew he had gotten the subpoena, she had watched the fat fool receive it, she even had video evidence that he had … Nabiki had tagged along and filmed it at a distance. The bald man was clearly identifiable as the receiver of the document in the middle of the screen.

This combined with the list of crimes Nabiki had supplied from more than three countries, all committed by criminals fitting Genma's description perfectly, seemed to convince the judge to allow the woman to be free of that horrid individual.

While she was in the area, she had her last name returned to her maiden name, and made sure to transfer her son to this name as well, to avoid any mess her ex left for him when he returned.

On the way to her new apartment, she had stopped by the bank in the Minato ward and made them aware of the change in names for her and her son. The woman behind the counter was very helpful, and even filled out the right forms for her while she waited.

Nodoka's apartment was not big, at least not with three people living in it. She had brought Kasumi and Nabiki with her, and between them, the rent suddenly became much more manageable. And it was sparsely decorated even after everything had been unpacked. Most of the things in the Saotome home was part of the Saotome property, and Genma had been adamant about having her sign a prenuptial agreement before their nuptials for some reason, even if it was her family that had money, not his. She had been cut off from the family account "for as long as it takes for you to come to your senses" as her father had told her on her wedding day.

Nodoka sat down with the mail and stared at an envelope from Iwo Kashima.

It was addressed to Nodoka Koki, her maiden name.

She had forgotten the nickname she had gotten during High School until she saw her old name in print again.

Nodoka "hanaji" Koki.

She had a rather daring choice of wardrobe during those times, and because of this, other girls had felt insecure and started spreading rumours about her looseness based around her choice of modifications to her clothes.

Her altered wardrobe had earned her the nickname "Hanaji", "nosebleed", because if she did any exaggerated movements like bending or stretching, her underwear was briefly exposed, giving perverted boys a nosebleed that in some cases caused the boys to faint. The other girls were jealous of the reaction she got while being subtle, while they had to do more to get the same attention.

Even considering the strangeness of the school, she was not spared, and had to turn down quite a few boys who had gotten the idea that they were allowed to kiss her without initial permission … the nurse's office was seemingly always occupied by at least one boy who had gotten _fresh_ with her.

Shaking her head, she brought herself back to the envelope.

She slit the thing open, and poured out its content.

Reading the letter, Nodoka's eyes widened.

According to Ranma's friend, the paperwork surrounding the patent had cleared, and Ranma was now officially the proud owner and inventor of the Stuff-Space generator. The boy had already started pulling several deals in, and promised that within another week, the first instalments on Ranma's account would start appearing.

Carefully, she placed this letter with the folder, hidden in a safe Nabiki had insisted she get, waiting for Ranma when he returned.

It would be a pleasant surprise for him to find his bank account had significantly grown when he got back.

* * *

In Lrith City, of the Jade realm, a rather large hunting party of Amazons were crowding inside a small scroll shop.

The owner, a certain Lewis Bester, an old, gangly man with hardly any hair and a limp, owed the Amazons of Jade a few favours for assisting him during his adventuring days. The less said about what those favours were the better.

One of these favours was what the leader of the Amazon group was cashing in at the moment.

They needed to save time, and get to Seer's Hamlet quickly, and the quickest way would be a teleportation or a gate scroll.

"Have you found it yet?" asked the unnamed Amazon leader in a bored tone. She was buffing her nails on her upper arms while leaning against the counter.

In the back, Lewis was rooting through his many scrolls, and shook his head in the negative.

Cologne of the Earth Amazons shook her head as well, muttering about disorganised fools costing them valuable time.

* * *

Outside Trinc, three horses, ridden by three human wererats, were riding at full speed towards the Seer's Desert and Seer's Hamlet.

"Why are we, like, riding on horses?" asked Moisha, blinking her own tears from her eyes. This speed was causing wind to blow in her face, and it was sandy.

"Because we've lost a lot of time!" answered Romeo, cutting Lydia off before she could say a word. "We need to catch up!"

"But isn't stealing horses, like, a serious offence?"

"F#&ing yeah!" barked Lydia. "Eternity in jail, or death, whichever comes first!"

"Oh my! Then I guess this isn't, like, the best time to, y' know, say that horses can't sprint for, like, more than half an hour at the most before, y' know, they need an hour or two to rest!"

"WHAT?"

* * *

"I missed _what_?" asked a certain fat Martial Artist.

The police officers standing before him were not looking at all friendly, neither was the plain clothes detective holding the list of charges about three times as long as he was tall.

"You have missed two court appointments," explained the detective a second time. "The first for your divorce, the second for charges filed against you for Child Abuse, Child Endangerment, Child Abandonment, Slavery, and Child Labour, not to mention this-" at this the detective held up the long list, "- list of crimes that a man fitting your description to a tee has committed under the alias of Saotome Ranma in close to ten countries and counting. Not counting repeat offences of the wide variety of crimes you've committed, you are looking at a minimum of a hundred years in prison.

"Now, you have the Right to remain Silent-"

"The Saotome Final Attack!" screamed Genma. The police officers braced themselves for a fight, and knowing the level of skill this man held, they would most likely end up in the hospital by the end of the hour. "RUN AWAY!"

With a mighty leap, Genma fled the house.

Unfortunately, the government was well aware of Genma's talents, and did not send in a few measly police officers alone to capture a man very likely to resist arrest.

Posted on various roofs in the neighbourhood were several snipers, aiming through their tranquiliser-filled guns.

-phhhht-phhhht-phhhht-phhhht-phhhht-

As Genma leapt over the wall of the Tendo compound, he suddenly found three red tranquiliser darts in his derriere, and another two in his shoulders.

This caused him to lose some momentum, sending him into the street, where twenty highly trained Martial Artists on the government pay-roll were waiting at the ready.

Dulled as Genma's senses and movements were, he wasn't much of a challenge, but rest assured, they all got a piece of the action.

The phrase "Police brutality" never before sounded more accurate.

* * *

Author's Notes; I am uncertain if Japan has what I understand is called the "Miranda Rights", but I figure they have something similar they read up to criminals. And about the horses, I looked it up for the patrols that were following Ranma earlier. During the old west when the Pony Express was the fastest way to send mail, there were stations set up every ten miles or so, and at top speed, that distance took only about twenty to thirty minutes.

I have no intention of having Ranma becoming the willing Harem Master or the willing Alpha Male. In this _small_ harem that Ranma will get, whether he likes it or not, he will be reluctant in most cases, but, hey … how many guys can resist the puppy dog eyes for long before caving in and doing whatever the fairer sex tells them to? I know the only one I can resist when using the puppy dog eyes is my sister … so far, I'm still searching for more to test this statistic on.


	9. Chapter 9

(Re-Posted January 11th 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

Ranma was making his bed, preparing the roll-out mat for slumber.

After the giant golem had been felled, Ranma had been introduced to several people.

The first had been Brianna's mother, Julia Brigand Diggers, the current Arms-Master of Jade.

The second had been Raphiel, a sentient golem in the form of a werecheetah.

Then there had been Sheila, member of the Northern Edge Guard, though Ranma felt that difficult to believe, as she looked little older than fifteen. She kept alternating between acting miffed at him and going into a stutter. During these stutters, her heart rate would increase and she would smell … _stronger_, but not in a bad way … actually, the scent made Ranma uncomfortable and gave him stiffness problems. What did Hiroshi and Daisuke call it? _Wood_? Bah! Didn't matter, it wasn't like he would so something about it, and demanding the young woman to stop smelling would not only be insulting, but would make everyone aware of his problem, because he'd have to explain why she needed to stop smelling. The last time he had been unfortunate enough to draw attention down there had been when he rescued those women from imprisonment and death in the lair of the first bandit group he had run across, three women fainted and another few started drooling while staring at it. Why on earth would they do that?

Gar was the brother of Sheila, and a fellow member of the Northern Edge Guard. The two were jagweres. Gar also seemed the overprotective type, weary of anyone approaching his sister, and Ranma could tell that if some fool would hurt her, whether emotionally or physically, he would be there to hand out some major whoop-ass.

Tirga was a weretiger, and from his behaviour, Ranma pegged him as a womaniser. Unfortunately for the women of Jade, he was also a member of the Northern Edge Guard. Ranma was fairly certain that the man's bedpost was hardly able to carry any weight from all the notches he had put on it, numbering each conquest.

The werepanther was Thropan, a troubadour at heart, magic user and inventor, and finally member of the Northern Edge Guard. He seemed like a very pleasant fellow, and was one of the first to introduce himself. He did it like an equal, making Ranma like him immediately. First impressions are important, which is why introductions are so important. If one came across as pompous, there would always be some part of one that expected this person to remain that way.

The large werelion was Onoli, the leader of the Northern Edge Guard. Now, this was a person Ranma could like. He was big, strong, and kind. When Ranma heard he had been raised by monks, this made a lot of sense.

Then there was this teenage boy about Ranma's age, wearing a similar outfit to the one who claimed to be the sheriff, only his was grey. This was Seance, the apprentice of Brianna's father, an Arch Mage named Theodore Diggers. Ranma got the impression that he was slightly uncertain of himself and his skills at times, but would not run away when the "chips were down".

Genn was the lovely petite girl about Seance's age, with horns sticking out of her pale hair along her head, not unlike those of an antelope. She was a rakshasa, a shape-shifter, able to assume any form it needed, and lived off the aura energies of others. At that moment, she had chosen to remain female, and judging from the looks she was giving Seance, he was the reason for her decision. There was a look of adoration in her eyes as they shifted focus onto him.

Finally, there was Brianna herself. She was apparently a failed experiment of some kind. Her sisters, Gina and Britanny Diggers had been cursed while on an expedition, the same one where they picked up Genn, and in an attempt to get rid of the curse, they made a mass of DNA goop of their combined DNA which they tricked the curse into latching on to. The two girls were free of the curse, but Brianna was the result. When she first gained conscience, she tried to kill them to have her own life, but was convinced into turning into her own person. She had the memories of both girls, and several physical similarities with them, even if one was adopted into the family. She was the link between them, their sister.

Lately, following the wedding of Britanny, Brianna had come to Jade to bring back Raphiel, who had been destroyed nearly completely during the wedding. Only one piece was left behind. Not long after she had arrived in this realm, there had been an eclipse, which had changed her body into that of a werecheetah with some human features instead of the opposite, which was normally true. Ranma suspected that the eclipse had some rather special results throughout the world that he had not thought of before. Anyway, after getting a _slight_ hit to the head, Brianna had a second personality take over, a situation Ranma was very familiar with, which tried to get back to earth to kill Britanny and Gina to make herself her own person, out of the shadow of her sisters. The two personalities had then been split, and they had to fight each other. Again, something Ranma was familiar with from a cursed mirror he had run into once. In the end, Brianna and Grave had been merged back together, and there was no longer any desire to kill her sisters, and she had changed to a more normal form, barring the ears which were still cat-like.

As they returned to Seer's Hamlet, Ranma listened to their stories, and told some of his, leaving out his curse and family name, as the last always brought with it disaster whenever someone found out about it, and the first always made people think he was a pervert or freak of some kind.

He was taken to the Edge Guard headquarters along with Brianna and the others, where he was offered a room for the night. The room was little more than a cupboard, but it was available and large enough to accommodate him.

Before he ended up where he currently was, making his bed, he had been sparring with that girl Sheila. For some reason she had thought he was a womaniser, but whenever he asked her what he had done, she would answer that if he didn't know, then _she_ certainly wouldn't tell him … women. She did have some skills, though, but not much beyond Akane with a little more grace, speed, strength and precision.

After he had dodged, weaved, danced around, evaded, ducked and leapt out of the way of her attacks for nearly half an hour, with only light taps in retaliation, the girl got mad and shifted to human form, which was that of a seven foot and a half tall woman with impressive curves and talents, and long flowing red hair. Seeing as the woman was wearing Sheila's clothes, which were made for a much smaller person, nearly smaller than Ranma's hybrid form, those clothes stretched magnificently, putting what she had to offer on display, which made Ranma stumble slightly in his evasion, but as soon as that large fist was headed for him, he collected his wits and changed to human form as well, thinking it only fair.

Sheila had frozen nearly solid from the shifting. Ranma could see how surprised she was. She merely stood frozen in place, her eyes as wide as dinner plates.

Ranma was starting to worry, when he was suddenly swept into a very firm glomp, and was bounced around the room with the big, strong woman as though he was her teddy bear and she had just found out Christmas was going to come early this year because she had been so good.

During this bouncing, between gasping for breath on the ascensions due to the talents smothering him on the return to the ground, Ranma heard Sheila squealing excitedly about her not being the only one with a birth defect.

Ranma could tell that this was a big deal to the woman, and wisely kept his mouth shut.

He couldn't remember how he had gotten out of that situation, but he didn't know if remembering any of it was such a good idea.

It was time to go to sleep.

* * *

The sun was starting to peek over the horizon of Seer's Desert when Ranma first awoke.

With there being only a tiny window along the roof of this room, Ranma could barely tell what time it was until he had stretched and taken a look.

It was still very early, and not many would be out yet … perhaps a bath would be in order … Brianna and Sheila had recommended a place during their trip back to Seer's Hamlet, maybe he'd try that place, a hot bath … It seemed like months since the last one, so he should take the opportunity while he had it.

There had been placed a fresh towel out for him along with a pair of pants Gar had outgrown a few years ago, but he had never gotten around to throwing them away … Sheila insisted that he wouldn't mind Ranma using them.

With these two items, Ranma made his way outside, and followed the path the women had described.

He came upon the large body of water not long after setting out, and was indeed impressed.

The women had said something about a possibility of insects possibly residing there, but Ranma sensed none, and placed his things against a tree to keep them out of the way.

After stepping into the water, Ranma realised that taking a hot bath as a man was not as relaxing and nice as when he was a woman, so he shifted. It had happened on occasion in Nerima that she had been stuck in female form, and it had been during those times that she realised that a hot bath was more comfortable with a female body.

Ranma waded around in the chest-high water, searching for a good spot to lie down and relax without drowning in the warm water.

She eventually found a big, flat rock jutting diagonally out of the water, and decided this would be a good place to relax.

Brianna and Sheila were right, this was a good place to relax, to let stress just melt off and get washed away with the currents.

"Hey there, beautiful," a male voice interrupted, greasy with confidence and assumed charm. "'Come her often?"

Ranma cracked an eye open to see Tirga standing there in his birthday suit, towel over his shoulder and his privates hidden barely below the water level. His eyes had a lecherous gleam in them as they roamed her body, while doing his best to keep from drooling. Oh, Kami-sama, not another pervert admirer.

Deciding the best way to make the problem go away was to ignore it Ranma closed her eye and pretended the nude weretiger didn't exist.

This got a lot more difficult when his presence was within her privacy zone of one foot from her being, leaning over her, poised to play the part of Prince Charming waking Sleeping Beauty. The heck he would!

Ranma's hand shot out and covered the man's face, giving it a light shove and sending the weretiger backwards, off balance, into the water. This created a great deal of splashing and gasping for air before Tirga regained his composure and slicked his wet hair back, not intending to give up just yet.

"Playing hard to get, eh?" panted Tirga, trying to sound suave and nonplussed by the sudden fall.

"No," denied Ranma coolly. A slight mist started to form around Ranma from the conflicting temperatures of the water and her aura. "I'm _impossible_ to get. There's a _big_ difference."

"Aw, c'mon, babe," Tirga pouted in what he assumed was a cute manner. "Y' sure there's nothin' I can do to … _convince_ you?"

"Not a thing," affirmed Ranma sternly and returned to a relaxing position. "Now leave, or I'll have to break every bone, vital organs and cartilage in your body … including the tiny sponge tissue and minute twin baby factories between your legs."

If it hadn't been for the ice forming along the surface of the water surrounding Ranma, and the cool tone of her voice, Tirga would have thought she was still playing hard to get.

This woman was obviously a magic user, most likely an element user, and her element seemed to be ice … just like Sheila, and _she_ wasn't all that bad once she got to know him … what harm could come out of getting to know _this_ one?

"OK, I'll leave," sighed Tirga dramatically. "But it'll cost you _one kiss_!" he added playfully, and puckered up.

Ranma was not going to stand for this harassment any longer, and decided to use the anti-Kuno method to get rid of the annoyance.

-SMASH!-

Tirga didn't know what hit him, only that his jaw felt like it had been fractured in several places, and a couple of teeth felt loose. It also seemed he was flying, something he didn't know a weretiger was capable of doing.

-CRASH!-

The wooden wall that was in Tirga's way broke his fall, and caused him to crash through it, landing on something soft, furry and warm.

"TIRGA!" exclaimed a voice that sounded remarkably like Sheila. "YOU PERVERT! KAPOWIE!"

Ranma was very pleased with herself to hear that loud, resounding, meaty thwack that could only be the sound of righteous womanly fury.

However, her bath had been ruined, she wouldn't be able to relax again for a little while, so she shifted back, scrubbed off whatever dirt he could find, and walked back to dry land to dry off and put on the pants … although why he only had a pair of pants and nothing more, he didn't know.

* * *

In her sleep, Brianna smirked as she dreamt of how the cute werecat would look without his shirt on, making her glad she had removed that pesky item of male clothing before she went to bed. Now, if she could only lure him into her bed and get rid of the equally pesky pants … Purrrrr!

* * *

Ranma still had some time to kill before breakfast, after having dried off and done a few kata, so he decided that tuning up his car would be first on his agenda. There were a few things he had yet to install, and he didn't want to wait too long before doing them, as one tended to forget if one postponed too much.

He looked around the training room he had just trained some in, and saw no one, so he did the seemingly impossible by making a pulling, then pushing motion with both arms, and made his car appear in the middle of the room. The pulling motions had been to get a hold of the big car in his stuff space, the pushing had been to get it out. It was rather taxing on his stuff space to have it there, but if he kept stashing stuff in there, his capacity would grow along with his control. If he kept things up, he would have enough room to hide an entire office building in stuff space within a year, if his estimations were correct, which they normally were as far as his own abilities were concerned.

Ranma got right to work.

What he hadn't told anyone, even President Iwo, was that he had invented an entire new type of technology, which made the production of the Stuff-Space generator possible. He called it Ki-Tech, due to the source of energy this technology had. With it, one could do pretty much anything, provided there was a living being at the controls. At its current stage, Ki-Tech could do only so much, because it was not yet perfected. It had so far been limited to small tasks, like generating a small fold in space within a container, generating the power needed to provide lighting to a car, add a little "personality" to Artificial Intelligence … once he had gotten the wiring and programming right.

It was one of these was the task he was adding to the car, lighting.

He liked driving this thing … it was relaxing not having to make tall leaps and bounds to get somewhere. And when he was done with this, he'd be able to drive at night as well.

This was why he was boring small holes into the seat and steering wheel, using his claws as drills. He was going to plant slightly larger receptors for bio energy radiation in those holes, and they would be connected to the lights, and now that he was at it, he was going to add a speedometer and a tightening mechanism to the car as well. The speedometer would be to let him know how fast he was going, and the tightening mechanism would set off a blinking light on the dashboard, about where the fuel gauge would be, when the springs in the engine that should be tight were slacking too much. As he was well aware of, the springs would only run infinitely in theory … in reality, however, the spring would slacken slightly, hardly noticeable, for every time it had run through the cycle of tightening and slackening because of the energy expended in the process. The accelerator helped keep it tight to a certain extent, but it wasn't enough. At some point, he had to open the engine up and tighten it manually … unless he could figure out some way of doing so from the drivers' seat … using Ki-Tech would probably work, creating some mechanism that would allow him to press a button or pull a lever to make the springs tighten back to optimal tautness.

Ranma lost himself in his work, barely finding himself thinking instead of doing. Only when he was faced with some problem did he stop to think for a moment before continuing to overcome the problem.

So engrossed was he in his work with the car, installing the modifications he had thought up along the way, that he didn't sense the arrival of someone else.

"Ooooh, a car!"

Ranma banged his head against the open hood in surprise. That almost hurt!

"How'd you get a car all the way in here?" asked a curious Brianna, who latched on to his back, while looking over his shoulder, grinning in excitement. "Hey! There's nothing in there but clockworks! A car can't run like that!"

Ranma stood upright, but didn't manage to dislodge the foreign body from his back. The soft hand running through his fur was a very distracting sensation.

"It works," Ranma stated as plainly as he possibly could. "I've driven it a couple of times through the desert."

"Looks heavy," commented Brianna from her position clinging onto his bare, furred back. "What kind of weapons does it have?"

"None," deadpanned Ranma. "This car is for transportation, not warfare. I'm dangerous enough in that department without weapons."

"C'mon," coaxed Brianna, mussing up his little patch of hair while making sure to press her entire front against him. This was a good potential source of nookie, and she wouldn't let him get away that easily. If they had problems, she would see if they could be worked out, but so far, she'd gone for a long time without, and she was getting an itch. Just _thinking_ about it was exciting … "I know just the weapons that would fit perfectly in this thing!"

"No weapons," repeated Ranma. "I will not cheapen myself by using weapons. This is a car for transportation, nothing else."

"Please?" pleaded Brianna, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder. Few men to date would have been able to resist this very dangerous technique, and Ranma would not have been among them, had not Sheila decided on doing a little morning work-out before breakfast. Having gotten that nasty wake-up call from Tirga had not been pleasant for her. Who did he think she was, breaking down her wall, in the nude, trying to bed her so early in the morning without her consent. But she taught him the error of his ways …

"WHAT THE-" she screamed as she saw what was standing in the room. "BRIANNA! STOP FIDDLING YOU YOUR _TECHNOLOGY_ HERE! ARE YOU TRYING TO GET INTO _MORE_ TROUBLE?"

"Don't get your panties in a twist," replied Brianna, slightly annoyed at automatically being pegged as the guilty party just because there was technology present. "This is Ranma's mess, not mine … he doesn't even want me to help him with his weapons …" –Sniff!-

"RANMA!" screeched Sheila, now directing her ire at him.

"I'm not destroying my car to keep anyone from finding out about it," replied Ranma distractedly. Females and their hurt feelings would be the death of him, he knew it. It took a lot of will power not to simply give in to Brianna's request about adding weapons now that she played the "hurt feelings" card. "And you can forget about me going to jail for it! This car works well within the parameters set for allowable technology," mentally he added that he had of course some more things in it than they could see, but didn't say it aloud because it would then be violating a law about technology. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"Oh," Sheila was slightly embarrassed over having lost her temper like this. "I guess that is OK then …"

"And I'm not adding weapons," added Ranma for Brianna, who had gotten an eager gleam in her eyes at the sound of Sheila's approval of this vehicle.

"Phooey," grumbled Brianna. After a short moment, enough for Sheila to come up and see the engine for herself, she added, "How about you get a logo on it? Every cool car has a design or logo on it!"

Ranma wisely kept his mouth about designs on any private transportations being too girly. It was not a valid reason like his refusal for weaponry, and he knew it. He would only get pounded if he said it. Ranma knew he would have to cave on something, or the woman would hound him about them for a long time. This was his experience speaking.

"OK, I'll put a design on it …" he sighed. And he had thought the pure black colour was so cool on its own …

With another pulling motion from his person, he pulled out a plastic cover to cut out the design from, and paint to spray on, silver in colour.

Even with the weight of Brianna on his back, Ranma went to work, cutting out the only design he could accept from the plastic with his claws, and working quickly enough for the two women to only see a slight blur interfering with their view of the hood, where the apparently crudely cut circles of plastic were being attached, and suddenly silvery paint was starting to appear along the edges of the circles, like an outline of silver, or maybe volume lighting from behind the design.

And as suddenly as he started, Ranma was finished, and the supplies he had used were gone, leaving only the paint design on the hood of the black car as evidence that it ever happened.

The design was very simple, composed of only five organic shapes, one large and four small. Together, the five shapes formed a cat's paw, with slightly tapering toes, like claws, surrounded by silver.

"A black paw?" asked Brianna curiously.

"Yup," replied Ranma with a smirk, not about to give any reasons. He had given in, they should be happy.

"Very nice- HEY!" started Sheila, then realised something. "Wha- how did you do that?"

"That … is a secret," answered Ranma. "I painted a design on, like you two asked, happy now? Will you _stop hounding me_ about the weapons?"

"Nu-uh!" replied Brianna with a gloating grin, shaking her head. "Never!"

Ranma would have growled, but his stomach beat him to it.

"Sounds like someone's hungry!" chirped Brianna in a singsong voice. This sugary behaviour was starting to get annoying … either that, or he was getting cavities from it and it was grating on his nerves.

"I think Onoli was making some breakfast when I walked in here," stated Sheila, slightly nervous about the silver colour on the car. "I'll bring you a plate if you want to stay here and work some more." A slight blush decorated her features. The only reason Ranma noticed it, was because he happened to be reading the aura of the two for any signs of what they would think of next. What did she have to blush about? Was he indecently dressed? Did she pass wind? Was there an odour he was unaware of?

"Nah," sighed Ranma. "I'm done … for now. But why don't you two … go save me a seat," he finished. He had wanted to tell Brianna to get off his back, but by the way she was locking her limbs about him, she was not likely to let go anytime soon, and a blunt demand would get him beaten, he knew that much from experience. This had been the best way he could think of to get her off while he stowed away his car.

Brianna shook her head, and nearly started purring.

Sheila sighed and grabbed a hold of Brianna's top, before pulling the resisting woman along. It was a good thing the material of that top was as strong as it was, or it would surely have torn apart at the force necessary to rip Brianna off Ranma, who stood as firmly rooted as a mountain.

As soon as the two were out of sight and hearing range, Ranma let out a breath. He never really had much of a resistance where women were concerned, probably because of his lack of exposure to them in his childhood on the road, and the close contact Brianna insisted on was waking those annoying sensations that he so long had combated. Had those two stayed for much longer, he would have slipped up and ended up insulting them or coming out of the ordeal as the pervert because of something he did or said.

He took a moment to regain his composure, then with a little effort, stowed the car back in stuff space. Ranma knew he would have managed to install a couple of seats more if he hadn't been interrupted during his zen state of working, but couldn't bring himself to resent the two for their interruption.

-Rrrroooowwl-

"Okay, I'm goin'!" exclaimed Ranma and left the training room. "Geez, even my _stomach_ won't leave me alone …"

* * *

Wandering down the street, Ranma wondered what to get.

Mrs Diggers had been kind enough to lend him enough money to get himself some clothes and other necessities or souvenirs. Ranma had promised to pay her back as soon as he got some money to pay her back with, there should be enough in his account back home to cover the loan he got, but he had to be able to get in touch with his bank first, something that was virtually impossible to do at that time and place.

However, Ranma had no idea of what to get.

He knew what he liked, he knew how much money he had, but he had no idea where to get clothes, nor what he would get as souvenirs. He felt certain that Kasumi would be insulted if he went to a different Realm and didn't bring her anything … she'd never let on, but silently hurt inside. Akane would bash him into the ground … come to think of it … she would most likely do that anyway, since he had been away for so long, doing who-knows how many deeds of perversion. Nabiki would get over it by adding to his debt. His mother would get over her disappointment if he said he had been manly with several women and she was about to become a grandmother. The last was a lie, as he had never done anything like it, and didn't intend to until it was part of the marital obligations. Ranma had seen how miserable married men were, and assumed this was because of the husbandly duties they had to perform every now and again … he had no intention of becoming like them without a fight. It was better to be free and happy, than tied down and miserable.

Because he had been foolish enough to confess that he didn't know what to get, Brianna had offered to come with him. Sheila had also said she'd come, because she was after all a local, and knew where the best bargains were. Since the Northern Edge Guard hardly had any authority left, there was little she could do in form of duty, so she was free to tag along.

It was Hell … But not the town in Norway.

The two pulled him from shop to shop, from stall to stall and merchant to merchant in search of clothes and souvenirs. Most guys usually shop by merely walking into a shop, looking for something in their size primarily, then basic colouration secondary and lastly within their price range. It didn't matter if the colour didn't match ones jacket or shoes, as long as the clothes covered what they were supposed to and had an agreeable basic colour and size. Ranma was no different. But these two seemed to have several black belts in Shopping, and clothes to match, though not literally speaking.

In the span of three hours, Ranma had only gotten three items of clothing, because they didn't like the fabrics or colours on him, or there was something wrong about the person selling the items.

The clothes he had gotten were a pair of pants, fortunately not too unlike those he had arrived in this realm with. Second, was a vest in black, with golden squiggly lines along the borders that Sheila claimed was a set of enchantments of neatness written in ribbon, one of the primary written languages of Jade. Finally they had gotten him a black mage suit, because they were certain he was one, despite his denials of being only a martial artist. He couldn't really protest about the outfit, as it was a perfect fit and had holes for his hands, tail and head, though the tail hole would supposedly seal itself when no tail was poking out of it. Another plus was that it was supposed to repair itself if damaged within reasonable limits.

They would have gotten him a decent pair of boots, but Ranma outright refused, because they made him feel like he was losing touch with the ground. Something about feeling the small pebbles, sand and other things under his thin soles made him feel more at peace.

He had managed to get a couple of souvenirs. For Kasumi, he had gotten a bag of holding. It would make shopping trips much easier for the woman he had come to look at as somewhat of an older sister, as it could hold a near infinite amount of items and would never get heavier. Nabiki would get an abacus. He didn't like the way her world revolved around money, and thought something simple in contrast to what Kasumi got would make her realise what her greed could do. Namely alienate people. The real gift, for when she would be disappointed with her crummy gift, was a red mage suit. He thought giving her a piece of clothing that never needed to get fixed or altered would be appreciated. And that it covered all but concealed very little would most likely also help, as he knew how much the young woman loved to tease men. That she wasn't a mage didn't matter. He didn't get anything for his pops, as the greedy bastard would only demand to know where he had gotten the money to get it all. Ranma didn't know what to get for Akane that would make her happy, and he sure wouldn't give her any weapons! She would just have to be happy he came back. Now, his mother was a tricky customer. She would benefit from having a bag of holding as much as Kasumi, but it seemed a bit excessive to purchase two bags of holding. Ranma spotted a blacksmith's shop. Perhaps … yes, perfect.

The souvenirs were stuffed into the bag of holding, which was stowed into his stuff space, and his new clothes were put on, all three items. He didn't like having himself on display, so the pants did an admirable job of hiding it over the mage suit. The vest was put on more out of respect for those that helped pick it out than necessity.

This shopping trip would have continued if Ranma had not insisted on ending it. It was soon time for their next meal, and he wanted to seek out the nearest dojo, where he would test his skills on what was taught to fighters on Jade.

Apparently, there was only one such place in Seer's Hamlet, and Sheila was reluctant in bringing him there. She must have thought the sensei, Weapons-Master Karia, one of the ten best Jade had to offer, would hurt him beyond his ability to heal quickly.

Ranma found the dojo impressive.

All over, people were sparring, stretching and lifting some form of weights.

It was how a dojo was supposed to be run. There was not a one that stood around smashing bricks as the only method of training, nor were there any poetry-addled swordsmen proclaiming their undying love for every pretty female face.

Along one wall, a dark woman with spiky black hair was speaking with Mrs Diggers, and Seance was also there. Somehow the lad seemed stronger than this morning.

Sheila pointed at the dark woman and said that this was Karia.

Ranma gestured for them to stay a little behind, and marched up to Karia.

"Weapons-Master Karia?" he asked seriously.

"Yes," she answered. "How may I help you?"

"I wish the honour of having a spar with you," announced Ranma. "I want to see what Jade has to offer before I leave, and to do this I need to fight the best there is."

Karia looked him over, judging him.

"Before I fight you," started Karia, "I need to judge your skill by fighting one of my students. If you defeat my student, you may fight me."

Ranma nodded in understanding. This was a common practice for challenges to any dojo. To fight the Master, one had to best the Student.

Karia looked over her students, and judged their skill level to best represent her school of fighting.

Her eyes came to rest on a well stacked woman with short brown hair, doing stretches between the others. Her level of skill seemed to be the best of her students at the moment.

"You there!" called Karia, pointing at the woman. What was her name again … ah! "Hanza! Front 'n Centre!"

The woman scrambled to her feet and came to a halt before Karia.

"You are to fight this challenger to gauge his skill, to see if he is worthy of facing me," explained Karia.

Hanza nodded and dropped into a defensive stance, facing the short werecat, who was simply standing there with his arms behind his back. He was studying her. His eyes narrowed for a moment.

"How long has it been since you last were a man?" he asked suddenly.

"What?" asked the woman in shock. Nervous sweat started emerging from various pores all over her body.

"Your aura," explained Ranma helpfully. "It's showing a slowly fading taint of masculinity that can only be caused by a magical change of gender. You have been a man lately, and was changed into a woman, a week ago at the most."

The woman was by then sweating profusely, and suddenly turned and bolted.

Ranma watched the woman run. She really had to start accepting her change, or she would be in for some real trouble.

"That was … surprising …" commented Sheila.

"Yup," agreed Brianna. There was something familiar about that woman … and what Ranma had said about her …

"Well, can I have that spar now?" asked Ranma politely.

"I suppose," sighed Karia. None of her students had run out of a fight before, no matter the taunting, why did they start now? How bad an impression did this give her school?

"Ready when you are," chirped Ranma, getting into a real defensive stance. This was supposed to be a real master, so he couldn't show her disrespect by facing her like any other fighter. He needed to assume she was his better and behave as such.

Karia took a stance as well and looked his defences over for holes. Ranma was doing the same.

With a slight nod, the two fighters attacked simultaneously.

The battle was joined.

* * *

The Amazon hunting party was patrolling through Seer's Hamlet. Their prey was bound to be here somewhere. All day, they had been patrolling with no results.

"We should keep guard at every school of war or arena in the area," commented Cologne. "He is most likely to seek out anyone who might be able to teach him something. Son-in-Law is unable to resist a challenge, and if he is anywhere near here, he will not be able to resist going there."

The Amazon leader mulled the information over. If they followed it, their mission was likely to end sooner, meaning less gold. If they didn't, their reputation as the best trackers and hunters in all of Jade would be lost. Choices, choices, choices.

"There is only one such place in this town, and that is the Training Centre the Weapons-Master Karia runs," answered the leader, "do not get on her bad side because she is capable of wiping the desert floor with all of us without breaking a sweat." She warned.

"Then that is where we will find Son-in-Law," confirmed Cologne. The boy always was a glutton for punishment.

The group travelled through Seer's Hamlet, with a set destination in mind.

They finally arrived in view of the saucer-shaped building.

"This is the place," said the Amazon. "Remember my warning, do – not – annoy – her!"

"Understood," agreed Cologne.

-CRASH!-BOOOOOM!-

The ceiling of the school exploded outwards with a humanoid projectile.

The form curved, reached its pique and came rushing down to the ground.

-CRASH!-

The form created a crater three metres in diameter, sending rock fragments from the cobbled road spraying anyone within a fifteen metre diameter.

When the dust settled, the Amazons saw a dark woman struggling to get back up.

"Weapons-Master Karia," gasped the Amazon leader.

Karia struggled out of the hole, and shook her dizziness off. Ignoring everyone around her, the Weapons-Master staggered her way back to her school, picking up pace as she went, until she was running.

* * *

"Hey, Romeo?"

"What, Moisha?" sighed Romeo, they had arrived in town today and abandoned the horses. They knew their prey was around here somewhere.

"Like, would a chargin' black elf be a bad thing?"

"If it was charging against us, yes, if not, I pity the fool that enraged one," replied Romeo. "Why?"

"'Cause that one just got, like, blown out of a building and is, y' know, chargin' back in!"

"I wonder who got Weapons-Master Karia's panties in a twist?" commented a passing weretigress.

"That's a f#&ing Weapons-Master?" exclaimed Lydia. "What f#&ing _moron_ took on a Weapons-Master?"

"I heard the mysterious werecat challenged her to a spar," replied the passing weretigress in a conversational tone. "Did you see the illustrations of him running around? He may be short, but he seems very well equipped!"

"We gotta see this!"

* * *

From a higher vantage point, a small mechanical bit bomb A.I. was watching the events transpiring near its creator. It had been following her and her group all day, waiting for anything to happen.

Something now seemed to be happening.

* * *

Ranma was having the time of his life.

The fight had been evenly matched from the very start. Blows were blocked or dodged with ease, and returned in kind.

Their environment was little more than obstacles to be fought around without harming. They lost themselves in the Art.

At one point, Ranma had managed to launch Karia through the roof, but she had charged right back in and retaliated by sending him through a supporting pillar. The roof had become slightly uneven as a result of one support being destroyed.

Ranma ducked a kick that would have taken the head off a normal person, and flipped Karia around by grabbing the extended leg and pushing up.

Karia kicked him in his stomach on the way down, and swept his feet out from under him.

They both got back to their feet and traded blows.

So far, they had not used any special skills in the fight, but this was changing, as their physical abilities were apparently equal at their best.

At an unspoken signal, the two unleashed force bolts of varying kinds at each other, while still within striking range. This was not a good idea.

* * *

-BOOOOM!-

From its elevated vantage point, the Peebo witnessed a grand explosion from the building her creator had entered not long ago.

Being curious, the small thing rolled at full speed down to the smoking crater to examine it. It didn't feel its creator being injured, but there had been no explosives in that building, how had that explosion come to be?

* * *

The three wererats arrived at the scene just in time to get blown back from the air pressure of the explosion.

With fearful expressions, the three got back to their feet and approached the smoking crater.

Around the edges were the audience of the fight, charred and in shock. People were pouring in from all over to see what had happened, and if anyone were hurt.

There, in the bottom of the crater, lay two forms.

The top form was that of the Weapons-Master, only enough clothing was left to cover her decency, and several dark bruises and burns decorated her exposed skin.

The bottom form was a black werecat wearing a black mage suit, with hardly any scratches visible because the suit was closing up any damage to it.

* * *

The Amazons were knocked unconscious by the debris and shock wave, but only from watching some of the fight the Jade Amazons had to agree with the Earth Amazons in that the boy was worthy of this chase.

Had they been conscious, they would have now been able to snatch the boy up and run for it without resistance. But, alas, they were not.

* * *

Peebo #042 was in awe.

The destruction caused here was simply spectacular! And no explosives had been used!

It scanned ground zero, and found two shapes. One was a female, the other was male.

One or both of these two had done this.

The male one was the one that had been with the creator all day, maybe he had a hand in this …

What Brianna was not completely aware of when she built her bit bombs, was that she put a little bit of herself in all her work. This particular Peebo had assumed the female gender for this reason, and thus also had a liking for men, but was not yet named beyond production number. But it made a serious decision that day.

If she had to, she would _die_ for this lovely specimen of a man, and she would follow him to the ends of the world.

She was in love.

-Sigh- If only she had arms, then she would give him a hug.

* * *

On Earth, Nodoka stiffened in mid pour.

She and Kasumi were having tea, and having a talk about her studies to go with it.

The cup ran over with the hot fluid, and Kasumi squeaked in surprise before forcing Nodoka's hands to the table to release the pot.

"Auntie, what's the matter?" she asked, worried that something serious was wrong.

Nodoka's eyes were misty as they turned on her.

"My son … is … MANLY!"

The middle-aged woman grabbed Kasumi in a bear hug and started dancing about the room, squealing about how she would have grandbabies.

* * *

Author's Notes; Another revised chapter over and done with … there were a few mistakes in this one as well, no surprise there, and a few small things have been changed to better fit the story, but the most important change was that I added a slight explanation as to how Ranma knew that taking a bath as a woman was better than as a man. This was added because someone pointed out to me that Ranma used to change back to male form with hot water, so taking a hot bath was not really an option … I hope this explanation is to everyone's satisfaction. 


	10. Chapter 10

(Re-Posted January 11th 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

Ranma woke with a groan.

The last thing he remembered was him sending a ki blast at Weapons-Master Karia, while she sent a chi blast of some sort at him. The two blasts had collided, and after the explosion there had been a strange vacuum that had pulled the two in, crashing them against each other and knocking them out.

"Must be a side effect of using different attacks …" mused Ranma.

The room looked unfamiliar … it smelled like a hospital, and an old fashioned one at that.

But that couldn't be right, the only clinic he had heard mention of had fallen victim to the fight Brianna and Grave Diggers had for the right to live. It couldn't be back to normal this quickly, could it? But then again, "magic" was very frequent in this realm, so having an entire building restored in no time at all didn't seem like such a silly idea. But hadn't that healer disappeared, or was that something he imagined?

He sat up and grunted. His body felt sore all over. Not even his fight with Saffron had left him this sore.

"Aspirin? Water?" asked a small, feminine voice next to him.

Ranma looked but saw only what looked like a pink turtle shell with wheels where the legs would be, and with an interactive face right in the shell where the head would poke out. It was a Peebo, according to the description Brianna had given him. Small bit bombs with Artificial Intelligence. They were Brianna's pride and joy.

Balanced on this Peebo's head was a glass of water, and a bottle of aspirin was next to it.

"Thank you," accepted Ranma and extracted two of the white pills and swallowed them with the offered glass of water.

Small spots under the Peebo's eyes seemed to redden for a moment, almost like a blush.

"What's your name?" asked Ranma, trying to be polite. The little thing had after all been kind enough to give him some water and pain relief, though it had yet to take effect. Not to mention it could cause an explosion, which was another reason to be polite.

"I have no name, but my production number is #042," answered the Peebo. "But you can call me whatever you like …" it added in an almost shy tone. Those red spots made another brief appearance.

Ranma mulled this over some. For several minutes, Ranma was silent, thinking about possible names for this Peebo with feminine characteristics in its voice and pink colouring.

"I think calling you #042 would sound too impersonal, don't you think?" asked Ranma conversationally. The face of the Peebo bobbed up and down, as though it was nodding. "How about Beebee? Short for Bit Bomb, or Big Blast?"

"Yes! That sounds very good!" agreed the now named Beebee, practically beaming in her pleased expression.

"OK, hello, Beebee, I'm Ranma," said Ranma as way of introduction.

Ranma could have sworn Beebee giggled for a moment, but this was a machine, machines didn't giggle, did they?

"So, Beebee," started Ranma. "Were you told to watch over me?"

Again, the face of Beebee lit up in red, and a meek, stuttered denial of that question was issued. From what Ranma could decipher from this admittedly cute stuttering, was that she had done this on her own initiative.

Ranma would have asked what had put her up to it, but he was interrupted by a swirling portal of a teleportation spell came into being, depositing Seance, Genn and Brianna.

"No time to explain!" gasped Brianna and grabbed Beebee. "Need to get to mom! She's in trouble!"

Ranma was hauled off the bed by Seance, revealing that he only wore his mage suit, and once more the teleportation spell was cast.

The party of four, plus one Peebo, were deposited in the middle of an arena, crowded with people that were climbing down the walls to rush into it.

Right before the small group was a severely wounded Julia, struggling to get to her feet, and with tears of despair in her eyes. Standing victorious above her, was a dwarven woman with long brown hair set into a curly ponytail, holding a staff with three connected sections in her hands.

The group managed to scoop up the wounded Mrs Diggers, and with the last of Seance's strength cast one more teleportation spell.

* * *

Meanwhile in Atlanta, Georgia, Britanny Diggers was at the front door of her own house.

The werecheetah in question was balancing on one foot, while holding as many as six paper bags filled with food and other necessities, using her remaining foot to ring the doorbell.

"Ginaaa! Stryyp!" she called out, ringing the bell a few more times. "Somebody answer the _door_!" another round of rings on the bell sounded. "I've got groceries!"

She noticed that the sun seemed to get brighter and the world darker, and turned around, curious about the source.

"What in the world?" she muttered as she saw a swirling light portal in the sky, about ten feet off the ground from the path to the house, whipping loose foliage up and around from the ground.

Suddenly, dropping from the portal, were five shapes. Seance, Brianna, Genn, a strange werecat, and Julia, her mother. Naturally, she was curious.

"Whew! Made it!" breathed Brianna as she touched down smoothly, her power armour donning her body, indicating a struggle.

"I don't think we were followed," said Genn, relief obvious in her voice and expression as she touched down.

"Good …" rasped Julia, and made a stumbling landing.

"M-Mom?" asked Britanny in curiosity.

"Remember! We head back in thirty days," whispered Julia to her party. "That should be enough time for me to rest and prepare …" after a moment, she added. "And don't breathe a word to _anyone_ of what happened! Understood?"

Ranma had no intention of crossing this woman, even in her current state, and nodded in agreement along with the rest of the group. He really didn't know much of what had happened, but could tell she didn't want anyone to know of her fight at the arena.

"Hey! WOW!" exclaimed Britanny and walked towards them, having put down her bags while the conspiratorial whispering had taken place. "Everyone's back from the "Great Jade Vacation"! Welcome home!"

Brianna, somewhat off the emotional centre answered in a fashion matching her state of mind, while setting the Peebo down. "Er … Hi, Brit! Did you miss us?"

The werecheetah walked up to her sister. "Hey, Brianna! Did you remember to get me some prezzies from your trip?"

"Well … um …"

"What happened on your vacation, sis?" asked Britanny curiously. "You're not leaving my sight until I've heard alla details!"

"Well," started Brianna, stuck in her sister's firm grip on her upper arms. "It's like this … mom was-"

"_BRIANNA_!" interrupted Julia sternly. A hurt and serious look was directed at the pinned woman as a moment passed in silence.

"-just … just … uh ... teaching us all about _hiking_ and _camping_ and _woodsy_ stuff! Aheh, heh, heh …" Brianna finished lamely. Britanny was not fooled for a moment.

"Hey … Wait a minute …" said Britanny slowly, tentatively sniffing the air. "I smell _blood_? A lot of it! Is someone hurt or something?"

Britanny sniffed some more and went past everyone until she got to her mother.

"Huh? It's coming from you?" she asked in concern. "Mom? Are you hurt? What's wrong?"

During this questioning, she pointed her finger at her mother to affirm that it was her she was addressing.

"Now, Britanny, it's _not_ polite to _point_ …" the wounded woman chastised, the bandage on her cheek doing little to hide her state of health.

"But, mom!"

"Your dear old mom just had a little _accident_!" interrupted Julia, stressing the last word. "I'm not the young, daring swashbuckler I used to be …" a soft grunt of pain escaped her. "M-mind if I borrow your automobile, dear? It's a long walk back home and I'm a bit worn …"

Britanny dug out her keys and handed them to her. "Uh, sure, mom … Here …" she paused in thought for a moment. "Hey. Now that I think about it … your and dad's house is only two miles away! You've never been too tired for _that_ walk before!"

However, her protests were unheard, as Julia had already made it into the cheetah coloured car and was starting it.

"Good bye, dear!" called Julia as she started down the road. "I'll return it tomorrow morning!"

"Mom! Wait! MOM!"

But it was too late, the elder woman had screeched the car down the street and was out of hearing range.

"All right, then … Brianna, Genn, Seance … one of you is gonna tell me what happened!" demanded Britanny.

Brianna was busy instructing everyone to pick up bags and carry them inside.

"C'mon everybody! Time to get Brit's groceries inside!" she sang, obviously avoiding the demand. Ranma was one of the first inside, guided by Genn, who knew the house, and followed by Beebee who was balancing a can of tuna on her head.

"Good idea!" chirped Genn in to support the distraction.

"If we waste time talking out _here_, everything will spoil!" finished Brianna in that same singsong tone.

Britanny would not be dismissed so easily, and followed the group into the house. She had yet to recall Ranma's presence, which was something he was glad of, as he didn't need another female drooling over him. Only a few had not drooled at him since his transformation. First and foremost was Beebee, followed by Mrs Diggers, Genn and Sheila, though Sheila and Beebee _were_ acting strange around him. He hoped the answer to his problems was that women already spoken for would not try to touch him inappropriately.

"It's no use, Brianna," snapped Britanny as she followed her sister inside the kitchen. "I'm going to dog you and _hound_ you until you tell me what happened to _mom_!"

"Nothing happened, sis … really …" denied Brianna weakly, evidence of her lying plainly visible on her face. "It was just a camping trip _accident_! Yeah …"

Just then, a well equipped blonde wearing only a tight blue tank top and a set of very short denim shorts entered the room.

"Brit?" she asked. "Was that you making all that noise outside?" annoyance was clear in her tone. "Banging on the door and jabbing the doorbell? Don't you know I've got delicate scientific experiments to conduct in sub-level _two_?"

She looked around the kitchen in confusion.

"Huh?" she asked in confusion. "Brianna and the gang are back?"

Britanny approached her, glancing over her shoulder at her youngest sister in annoyance.

"Look, Gina …" she started. "Something weird happened while they were gone. And they aren't tellin' what!" the sole female werecheetah leaned in and whispered conspiratorially. "Our only chance is to interrogate them! You be the "good cop" and I'll be the "bad cop"!"

"What are you obsessing about?" asked a confused Gina. "Interrogation? "good cop", "bad cop"?"

"Shh! Not so _loud_!" hissed Britanny in a whisper.

"I swear Brit, someti- I -" Gina's response trailed off as she saw something. "-I-"

What she had caught sight of, was the new and improved Seance, standing next to Ranma, handing him stuff from the bags to transfer to the proper place. In her mind, Gina was undressing the two men and placing herself in various scenarios with either of them.

"Gina?" asked Britanny. No response. "_Gina_?" she started snapping her fingers in front of the woman's face. Still no response part from a deep blush settling over her features as the daydream progressed. "GINA!"

The blushing woman was forced from her daydream by Britanny turning her head from the sight and to her.

"Look, Gina … _can't you see this is more important than your libido_!" demanded the irate werecheetah. She was about to continue her arguing when she noticed something that stole her temper away in confusion. "Hey, who's the kid?"

Ranma looked away from his task.

"I'm not a kid, I'm eighteen years old," he replied. "And I'll beat it into anyone who disagrees." A _small_ bluff, he wouldn't start beating people for no reason, but a threat might make them think twice.

Apparently, he was wrong.

"Bwahahahaha!"

Britanny didn't seem to believe him capable of performing on her level. Hmm, he would have to rectify that …

"If you don't believe me, then I challenge you!" he stated firmly. In the background, Seance and Brianna were waving their hands and shaking their heads, trying to subtly tell the werecheetah not to accept. Unfortunately, those kinds of signs were not noticed.

"OK, maybe I can show you what a _real_ werecat fighter can do!" laughed the woman and wiped a tear of mirth from her eye.

In the background, Brianna and Seance sighed in resignation, while Brianna added a slap to her own forehead before diving into the refrigerator where she saw several familiar shapes, fish … TROUT!

"Hi," started Gina, sticking out her hand. "My name is Gina Diggers."

Ranma, familiar with the western custom, accepted the hand and made sure not to squeeze too hard.

"Ranma," he replied kindly. "So, what scientific experiments are you conducting?"

"Oh, nothing much, for a real scientist, that is …"

"Really?" asked Ranma, wondering what level of intelligence she was on compared to her younger sister. "I dabble some with inventions myself … maybe we can have a discussion about it sometime?"

Gina was about to reply when Ranma was pulled away by Britanny.

"Come along, kiddo, let's have words," she groused.

Ranma resented being called a kid, but came along. This woman had some strength, and would have made it difficult to resist anyway. He was pulled into the hall where he was released against the wall.

"Look, kid," started Britanny. "If you are going to stay here for _any_ stretch of time, there are two things you need to know to survive." One finger was ticked. "One; Bri' and Gina have libidos that could outpace a herd of elephants, so don't get involved or tricked into small confined spaces alone with them." A second finger was ticked. "Two; never, and I cannot stress this enough, never start talking about science or inventions with either of them unless you seriously have an interest, or they'll bore you to death or ask you to test some of their inventions! Most of the time, you'd end up injured from a small miscalculation!"

"Understood," replied Ranma, then paused for thought. "That would explain why Brianna insisted on getting me a mage suit … and why she kept hanging on to me …"

"You didn't …"

"Nothing happened," denied Ranma vehemently. "But, can you tell me why this Peebo seems to be reacting strangely around me?"

"Strange?"

Ranma illustrated his point by pointing at the door they had come from, where Beebee was poking out curiously. The Peebo squeaked, blushed and rolled back into the kitchen when she realised she was discovered.

"That was … odd …" agreed Britanny. "If I didn't know better, I would think it had a crush on you …"

"… that would explain some of her shy behaviour …" sighed Ranma and looked to the heavens. "Why me?"

* * *

It was night in Atlanta, and Ranma stepped out of his car in front of the hall where the Explorers' Society Banquet was to take place.

He was wearing a black borrowed tuxedo, and was in human form. He didn't much care for the clothes, as they were much too restrictive, and would tear apart like wet tissue paper if there was an actual fight. His only consolation was that he was wearing his mage suit underneath. He didn't know why Gina had invited him along … he had hardly known her for more than a day, but then again, it would be impolite to decline such an offer, so he accepted.

Before he left, he had tried contacting his mother, but was informed by the phone service that there no longer was a Nodoka Saotome registered. He had then tried contacting his bank, and was informed that his name had been changed on the account, from Saotome to Koki. He did not have time to call the phone service about a Nodoka Koki, because he was almost out of time … maybe he could try when the banquet was over. The important part was that he had let his bank know he was fine, and to send him a credit card at the address of Gina Diggers in Atlanta, Georgia.

The car in front of him was Gina's. She had offered to drive him, but Ranma asked why he needed a ride if he had one. Besides, she was to pick up her on-again off-again boyfriend, Ryan Tabbot, and the less Ranma got to see of any mushy stuff, the better.

Gina was wearing a lovely blue dress and jacket, and seemed very confident in winning the award that was given annually at this Banquet. She handed her keys to the valet.

Though Ranma was trusting, he didn't want anyone to fiddle with his car, so he took the distraction of Britanny waving her sister over as the perfect time to stow the car back into stuff space.

Ranma walked away from the curb and noticed the two unknown persons by Britanny. One was a dark lady with very curly hair who wore a grey business suit. The other was –

"A phoenix?" asked Ranma. This was cause for further investigation.

Ranma approached the yellow skinned woman with the wings.

"Hi," he started, offering his hand to the woman. "My name's Ranma."

"I'm Charlotte," greeted the winged woman cheerfully. The name brought unwanted associations with a certain kleptomaniac ice-skater girl back home.

"You wouldn't happen to be a phoenix, would you?" asked Ranma conversationally. He couldn't really think of any subtle way of asking, so being blunt seemed like the best tactic.

"What's a phoenix?" asked Charlotte in confusion. "Penny?"

"What is it Charlotte?" asked the woman in question.

"This is Ranma, he asked me if I'm a phoenix, but I don't know what they are … do you?"

"A phoenix is in mythology a bird that burst into flames, died and was reborn from its own ashes, and you are a harpy, not a phoenix, girl," answered Penny tiredly. Then she directed a glare at Ranma. "And what's _your_ deal, trying to confuse my bodyguard?"

"I'm sorry," apologised Ranma sincerely. It was time to bring out the _big guns_ … manners. "I had a few run-ins with the phoenix people in the Bakalayan mountain range in China, bird-people not unlike this lovely woman, and wished to know if she was one of them. I'm sorry for any inconvenience my question brought." Doing the only polite thing, Ranma bowed and gracefully picked up each of the two women's right hands in turn and gave them a peck on the knuckles. It was corny, he knew, but it was written in many books on etiquette that this was the proper way for a man to greet a lady … a written commentary by another reader added that it was also great for flattering a girl, and would only result in one of two ways, a slap or a smile.

Penny seemed unaffected by this, only raising a brow at the behaviour.

Charlotte, on the other hand, raised her three-clawed hand before her mouth and giggled shyly while blushing.

Before anything more could be said, Brianna grabbed a hold of his tie and pulled him along.

"Come on, lover-boy," she sang. "Time to get to our table!"

Ranma really hated that title, as it was completely unwarranted … he had not been with any woman or others in that way, and had no immediate plans on it.

The inside of the banquet hall was very fancy. And it was filled with fighters and only a few archaeologists and explorers. Why the fighters were there, Ranma had no idea. Until Gina explained that the fighters were the bodyguards of the explorers, and that they were here mainly because of the drunken brawl that normally followed the banquet. This was the only reason the fighters were here, and it was traditional.

There were many fighters, but only a few stood out.

First and foremost was a giant of a man, almost eight feet tall, with long red beard, bulging muscles, and a safari suit with the finishing touch of a hunting rifle and a belt with a huge buckle, like those world champions in boxing tend to put on. There was just something scary about him, and this was the thoughts of a man who had killed a demi-god with his bare hands and fought a dragon descendant to a standstill while levelling an entire mountain … actually, he had levelled a mountain for each of those two ... oops?

Ranma was taken to one of the numerous round tables, and was somewhat pleased to sit next to the bubbly harpy. At least he wouldn't have to worry about being grop-

"Ugh!" Ranma realised that he had spoken too soon, and tried to get Brianna to remove her hand without letting the world know about his situation.

The lights were dimmed and Gina started for the podium to deliver her discovery about real, living Djinni, though this one couldn't grant wishes. Ranma's nerves were getting frazzled, as Brianna took this as an opportunity to up the groping.

Before Gina made it to the podium, it was taken by this guy named Fauntleroy, who was giving the same presentation as her, only with a different Djinni, and a more violent story of acquisition.

Gina was a tad miffed that no one seemed to care about which order things went by.

Ranma, on the other hand, was suspicious. The last time he felt something like this from a person had been from Herb, the prince and sometimes princess of the Musk. This man had dragons' blood flowing through his veins, and from the concentrated feeling, he was more pure-blooded than Herb was. He would have to keep an eye on the man. From what Ranma could tell from all of these people, only a few would be able to go up against the man and be the one to walk away. He even had doubts that _he_ was capable of that feat. Perhaps after a year or two of intense training …

Mrs Diggers seemed like a good fighter, maybe _she_ could teach him after she had taken care of that thing on Jade in a month's time. If she was one of the best of Jade, a realm where everyone had to know at least some basic form of fighting, even if they hardly used them even when the opportunity presented itself, then she might know a few tricks.

Then the lights went out completely.

Ranma didn't know much about presentations or banquets, but he knew this was not part of the deal.

His keen senses picked up a short struggle behind the curtains behind the podium, followed by a rocket shooting out from there, hitting the far wall of the hall.

Someone called out that it had come from the table Ranma was at, and since it was apparently a well known fact that Brianna had a weapon fixation, plenty believed it and the drunken brawl was started before anyone could manage to get drunk.

Ranma was having a blast.

This fight was a real challenge, much like his fight with Weapons-Master Karia. But here there were more opponents, and most of them above the skills of most his fiancées and rivals in Nerima.

Though the fighting was fun, Ranma's real goal was keeping the non-combatants in this section of the hall out of harm's way, which proved quite a challenge, as several people had brought weapons such as firearms to this "shindig" and were not shy about using them in concussive ways rather than lethal.

Three of the more powerful fighters in the hall had disappeared, to where, Ranma had no idea, and no time to wonder. Bullets and other projectiles were flying through the air, and only the overturned Titanium-alloy-reinforced dinner tables prevented any real harm to come to those hiding behind them.

Ducking one blow and sidestepping another, Ranma was having fun. There were so many different styles at work in this hall, and he tried to memorise everything he could manage to sense or observe while ducking and weaving between bullet, animals, rockets, blades, feet and fists.

His borrowed suit was not faring as well as he was, as the cuts and tears all over it could contest to. Ranma hoped this Stryyp person would understand, and not be upset with him for not being careful with it. That guy had radiated with power, though most of it did not seem natural, leading him to believe that he was cheating somehow … but no matter what, he wasn't fool enough to egg on someone that would use such things as telekinesis to fight with only a little effort.

Speak of the devil and he will appear, there the cat-man was now, with his hand wrapped around the fist of that Fauntleroy guy. From the strained expression on the dragon-man's face, he was in pain. This only served to prove Ranma's reasons for not wanting to upset Stryyp.

Not far behind, Ryan and Seance were beaten badly, and Britanny was in danger of losing her decency.

Gina looked ashamed for some reason. The giant hole in the wall behind them may have been the reason …

Ranma felt the need to hear what had happened, but knew well enough not to press where pressure was unwanted.

This was the turning point for the brawl, and everyone started calming down some. Not long after, some were kind enough to go about treating injured fighters.

* * *

Outside, the police were settling bets on who would take down whom, while dunking their doughnuts in their coffee. The rookies still could not believe that they would not do anything to the hooligans that were destroying private property and discharging firearms of various destruction capabilities so recklessly.

These rookies were sent to get more coffee and doughnuts to keep their whinging and complaining from getting too annoying for their superiors.

* * *

Meanwhile in Tokyo, Japan, Nabiki Tendo was on her way to work.

It had taken some adjusting to the new life she was starting away from her family house. She wouldn't be able to handle bets anymore, nor blackmail. The boss was too strict for that. Another worker at the PR office of Mihon Inc. had tried something similar and was fired and blackballed from the media business. This job helped her keep food on the table, so Nabiki was not fool enough to try something like that.

Occasionally, she saved her company some money by doing the photography jobs they were supposed to handle, instead of letting a professional do the job. From all her experience with snapping photographs in the past, she had gotten quite proficient at it, and she had gotten no complaints about the quality of the images to date … though she had hardly even had the job for two weeks.

All in all, things were picking up.

She walked past the news stand in front of her office and had taken only a few steps before she froze.

"Was that …?" no, it couldn't be …

Slowly, she retraced her steps, and came to a halt before the "science section", where she picked up a magazine.

There, on the cover of the magazine, with a silly grin on his face that she remembered taking a picture of when he had gotten a technique right, which technique it had been she didn't much care at the time. And hanging in the air before him was what looked like a small bracelet with a monofilament wire instead of chains. The banner of "Possibly the greatest inventor of the year!" came like a blow to her head.

Ranma, an inventor? And of something that actually worked? And that didn't involve fighting?

She rifled through the magazine, ignoring the cried of protest of the man behind the counter, and came to the article, where a rough sketch of the effect of the invention was set up.

This was highly advanced stuff! No one had done this! How on earth did Ranma sneak this by her without her noticing at all? And if he was so smart, why didn't he do well in school?

Tearing the page out of the magazine, Nabiki stormed off to the nearest telephone, which happened to be in the lobby of her job's office building, to tell Auntie about this.

Maybe if he really did come back, she could handle his Public Relations, or better yet, be his manager.

By the time she got back home for the day, the magazine had cost her ten thousand yen in fines, but she had kept her article.

* * *

In Tokyo harbour, a reunion was taking place.

One was a crippled old grandmaster of the Anything Goes school of Martial Arts, who had only gotten his superficial injuries healed before emerging from his journey through the Tokyo sewer system. He had gotten swept away with the currents, and was helpless to fight it.

The other was an amorous female octopus, who had swallowed a permanent love pill and seen said old man first upon swallowing the pill. She was very pleased, to be reunited with her love, and he had stopped fighting her! He loved her!

Much to Happosai's dismay, the overjoyed squid entangled him in her tentacles and somehow managed to pull him along out to sea.

* * *

Back on Jade, the Amazon hunting party were in a tiff.

Their prey had been in their sights, fighting one of the Ten, and had made it into a draw, a draw that knocked them all out from the force of the blast. And he was nowhere to be found when they had regained their senses.

The reputation of the Jade Amazons was at stake, they needed to find their prey again, and fast!

"I hope you realise that the agreement is fulfilled and we shall pay _no more_," commented Cologne. "The agreement was that you help find Son-in-Law, which you did … then you lost him, we will not pay more than up till the day you first found and lost him."

The local Amazons wanted to argue, but knew better. The agreement had been for that set time, and they had to continue now, their honour and reputation was at stake. Money or no, they had to find the werecat, or lose all the respect they had as hunters and trackers in Jade.

The hunt was on once more.

* * *

Not far away from the Amazon hunting party, were three wererats, who were also wondering about where their prey was gone to.

"Some of the people from the Arena said they saw a black werecat escape with the disgraced Arms-Master," suggested Romeo.

"Just f&#ing great!" growled Lydia. "Now he's with the werecheetah! How the f&# are we supposed to get past the Glare of Doom, not to mention an Arch-Mage and his wife, who happens to be one of Jade's greatest fighters, to get rid of another werecat?"

"Like, wouldn't she, y' know, be angry with us for putting that, y' know, collar on her?" asked Moisha nervously.

Lydia's eyes widened.

"F&#!"

"Great," grumbled Romeo. "Just great …"

* * *

On a bed in another clinic in Seer's Hamlet, Weapons-Master Karia was going over the fight in her mind while waiting for her wounds to heal.

She could only come to one conclusion … that werecat was a prodigy, and come Hell or high water, she would meet up with him again, and either settle the issue of which of them was the better, or settle down with him. He had proven worthy of her _attention_, and good men were so hard to find …

* * *

Author's Note; Not much happened with this chapter … just a couple of short corrections. 


	11. Chapter 11

(Re-Posted January 11th 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

It was morning a few days after the banquet.

Ranma was sleeping peacefully in the guest bedroom he had been assigned to, until his heightened senses told him that someone was up and about, distressed and in a hurry.

From personal experience, Ranma knew that being up, distressed and in a hurry this early in the day was never a sign of anything good, so he awoke instantly, alert and ready for battle.

Throwing on a pair of pants to cover the bottom half of his mage suit, Ranma ran into the hall in time to see Britanny hauling a half dressed Gina towards the front door. Gina had been clinging to the trophy for the past few days that Ranma wouldn't have been surprised if she slept and showered with it. The trophy was currently noticeably absent. Curiosity got the better of him, and he ran after them, finding Brianna already outside, fully awake and dressed, sitting impatiently in the car.

"Start the motor!" yelled Britanny, carrying her squirming big sister under her arm.

"Britanny!" screamed an embarrassed Gina as she struggled with keeping her clothes on. "M-my pants!"

Ranma followed the three to the car, and jumped in with them, smiling. His main reason for smiling was for effect, but really, it was also because of the view he had gotten before Gina could pull on her pants. What heterosexual man would not find that sight enjoyable?

The three women looked at him in confusion.

"Well, you woke me up, I thought the least you could do would be to include me in this outing," he explained.

The three looked only slightly ashamed about what they had done, but could not argue his logic.

"Now, where are we off to?"

"You know, I'm curious about that myself …" agreed Gina.

"Food Buffalo!" cried Brianna and frantically started the engine, having momentarily been distracted by Ranma's surprising appearance. "We have to run a few red lights, they get their tuna shipment in less than five minutes!"

The woman had a heavy foot, and floored it.

"_That's_ what this is about?" asked Gina incredulously. "_Grocery shopping_?"

"YES!" exclaimed Britanny. "The fridge is beyond the point of bare, and the grocery store is out of tuna every day of the week, except on shipping days!"

"And who's fault is _that_?" grumbled Gina.

"We have to be there before regular shoppers arrive and reduce the stock!" added Brianna, ignoring her sister's grumbles.

Gina sighed and slumped into her seat.

"If only you'd said something earlier," she added. "I've got the solution to this problem!"

With a swift motion of her hand, Gina produced a card, which she presented to her sisters in the front seat.

"What the heck are - you?" started Britanny, but trailed off as she saw the blue card with not only Gina's image on it, but the logo of Mass Club as well.

"A buyer's club card?" exclaimed Brianna, dangerously taking her eyes of the road. "Why didn't I think of that?" she added to herself.

"Woo! Go Gina!" cheered Britanny.

"You guys are sooo easy to impress …" sighed Gina, this time with a slight satisfaction.

Ranma didn't understand much of what was just said, but played it by ear. It must have been a good thing, or these people wouldn't have been so excited.

A short drive down the freeway later, and the four were at their desired destination, a super mart with the large banner of Mass Club hanging over the doors.

"Here we are," declared Gina as they stepped up to the building. "Practically everything in this place is in bulk … so keep our maximum food storage capacity in mind while you're shopping." She levelled a stern glare on the three others. "That especially goes for you, Britanny!"

"Huh?" replied the werecheetah intelligently.

"I'm talking about the time you bought so many new shoes, we had to keep some of them in the fridge!" reminded Gina.

"Hey! That's not fair!" argued Britanny. "They were on sale!"

Ranma tuned out the women until they were all inside. He offered to take over the shopping cart for Brianna, figuring he had to at least do something. Lugging shopped items for his hosts seemed as good a duty as any.

He did notice that he and Britanny were drawing stares, though. Those poor people … not used to such things as strange-looking people walking about in broad daylight.

"This is gonna be sweet!" said Britanny as soon as they were inside. "With the savings we earn, we'll spend half as much as a normal grocery run-"

"-which means we can get twice the goods!" finished Brianna.

"Amen, sista!" chimed Britanny.

"You guys aren't going to go on another spending binge in here, are you?" asked Gina, apparently already knowing the answer.

Her only answer was an eerie stare from both her sisters that made her shiver and sweat nervously.

While Gina was thinking that this might not have been such a good idea, Ranma was trailing behind her, shopping cart well in hand, taking in the sights. He had never seen so many wares stacked together, even in shops in Tokyo. This was how shopping was supposed to be … quantities like these were the kind he appreciated for his shopping. He wistfully glanced at the crate of instant ramen, large enough to fit his car into, and the other huge boxes and containers of food. Even though he had gotten his credit card in the mail, he didn't feel inclined to spend anything on it unless it was an emergency … but the ramen was tough, he had to reason that he might need the money later. But he did wonder why the bank had been so quick to send him the card, and why his mother didn't seem to answer her phones in the afternoon. He had yet to reach her, and he had yet to check the balance of his account. For some reason, the teller started stuttering too badly when he read her the account number and name, and he was unable to get anything coherent out of her.

Ranma was impressed with the selection of cookies they had here, though the average person would not be able to lift the large bags unassisted. Britanny seemed to have the same way of seeing it, and happily hugged the forty pound bag of chocolate chip cookies, while asking where the milk was.

"It should be down this aisle." Stated Gina and looked around for evidence contrary to her statement or to support it. "We can-" she ended her sentence before any meaning could be gotten from it and stared at what was before her. "Oh MY _GOD_!"

Britanny turned to see what was the matter. "What? What is it?"

Gina got in her way, and did her best to distract her attention from whatever was behind her. "Okay, take it nice and easy, Brit!" she said in a would-be calm tone. "Take _deep breaths_ and try not to _pass out_ when you see this …"

"See what?"

The shock of seeing entire metal barrels with tuna lined neatly along the aisle for several shelves up was enough to make the werecheetah drop her giant bag of cookies. Britanny and Brianna were getting misty eyed as they stared in awe at the plenty of their favourite food.

"Brianna … we're on holy ground!" squeaked Britanny, her teary eyes sparkling in adoration.

Brianna herself was chanting to herself "Please don't be a dream … please don't be a dream …"

A little later, a slightly disappointed Ranma was tagging along behind the trio of women, two of which were singing "We are the Champions" by Queen while driving or lounging on a forklift loaded with two barrels of tuna and other miscellaneous items. He was disappointed that they didn't trust him to be able to carry all of that stuff … being short was no picnic … at least he had proven his skill to Britanny the day after the banquet. She wouldn't assume him as weak as he looked any more, nor would she underestimate his skills. They had come to an agreement that they would spar occasionally to see how the other's training progressed. For some reason, Britanny needed some more time healing from their fight and spars than he did, but didn't really feel the need to question this. Whenever he started questioning things, it all fell to pieces.

Gina seemed to be a bit more considerate, and after a bit of muttering about only having to make two trips now that they were able to rent a forklift, told Britanny to change to human form, there were people from out of town here and they weren't used to seeing a lycanthrope lounging on top of a forklift in the middle of the day where everyone could see them.

"Tsk … let 'em stare," said Britanny. "They have to get used to me _sometime_."

Ranma couldn't agree more with her sentiment.

"Spaghetti 'Os, hooo!" called Brianna cheerfully and pointed dead ahead.

As they were getting through the store, Gina grumbled about how the "savings" were getting expensive, and reminded her sisters not to grab stuff on impulse in the check-out lane.

Their path was suddenly blocked by a hulking figure.

"'Scuse me, Ms Diggers?" groused an intimidating voice.

Gina, being the brave adventurer, the super scientist, had only one answer. "Huh?"

Ranma was on full alert. Run-ins like this never turned out well in his experience. He may not be able to take this guy out on his own, but he was certain that he could keep him busy while the others ran for safety. That, and he hadn't noticed the guy until he was within seven feet of them set him off edge. Something that big had no right being stealthy.

"Monty?" asked Gina, hardly recognising the previous president of the Explorers' Society, previous because the title was handed over to her a few days ago. Or rather, she recognised him, but this locations seemed a bit off from his style, so she had not expected to see him.

"'Magine th' quincadence, eh?" groused the threatening voice. This would most likely be how the Grim Reaper sounded … only without the dialect. "Th' two o' us meet'n agin so soon afta the banquet," continued Monty through his thick, long red beard. "Small world, wot?"

"You're telling me …" agreed Gina. It was a little too coincidental in Ranma's unspoken opinion. "By the way, Monty, why is your cart so empty? Aren't you finding anything here …"

"Not 'til now, I 'avent't," groused the big man.

Britanny now realised who this man was, and was as surprised as Gina.

"All right, what's holdin' up the gravy train?" demanded Brianna from the forklift.

"'Tell ya the truth, lass, I'm 'ere on bizness …" whispered Monty conspiratorially to Gina. "An ossoshaite o' mine wants t' meet ye … I'd 'ide my boyfriends if I was you … she's a _saucy li'l wench_ when she smells fresh "meat"!"

Monty dug into his pockets and held out an old lamp that could have been taken directly out of that Aladdin cartoon. It was the same lamp Fauntleroy had been showing off at the banquet.

"'Ere, take 'er," affirmed Monty. "'N good _riddance_!"

Gina stared at the item in shock.

"Hey! That's … _Madrid_! The Djinni Fauntleroy had at the presentation!" she exclaimed. "What's going on?"

"Ye got me …" confessed the large man. "She ne'er tells ole Monty a thing! 'ppears she 'as some'n t' say t' _you_, thou …"

Gina had only one thing to say about that.

"Jinkies!"

Gina's sisters were as confused as she was, but Ranma was having suspicions about this.

* * *

The four and Djinni returned to the junior Diggers home about half an hour later. The reason for their belated return being firstly that they had to load the groceries into hyper space and the car, secondly, the girl at the register thought they had gotten the lamp from among their wares and was about to call the police when they refused to pay for it, thirdly, Madrid was a _pain_. Ranma decided to drive his own car just to avoid her and her sexually aggressive ways. That Djinni was nothing like Dao, the male Djinni Gina had hired as her lab assistant, and Ranma could not help but envision Madrid as a cross between Nabiki and Kodachi with a bit of potent aphrodisiac dumped in her food. She had the same conniving air about her that Nabiki had, and she had the same inhibitions about clothing, or lack of it, that Kodachi had. The only thing she wore to cover her top half was a metal ring that spanned nearly a foot from her body without touching her, with a gap in front, and her pants were so low there was hardly any need for them at all. Her head was covered in ram-like horns, like a helmet that curled down her back and under her arms, and her eyes were on her waist.

Ranma was nearly bowled over by an overly concerned Beebee as soon as he entered. Only _nearly_ because of her small bulk and barely enough speed to manage launching into the air at his stomach, and because Ranma was a very resilient fighter.

"Where were you?" asked the Peebo in a near panicked, yet relieved tone. "I came in with your breakfast at seven, and you weren't there! I searched the entire house, and couldn't find you! There was no note or anything! I was just about ready to call the police!" –sniff- "Please … just _hold me_!" she added in a meek tone that sounded on the verge of crying.

Ranma was never very comfortable around crying females, even if this female was artificial, and could not help but look and feel awkward about giving a bit bomb a hug.

"There's something you don't see every day," commented Brianna jovially as she helped carry in groceries. "Don't make her too excited, or she'll blow her top!"

"An explosive love-affair if I ever saw one," agreed Britanny. "But let's get on to more important business … TUNA!"

Ranma didn't much want to witness the feline versus piscis carnage, nor endure the presence of the spine-chilling Djinni, so he sought refuge in the part of the lab Gina had told him he could use for his own "experiments". He had yet to convince her that he was not merely a bragging mechanic Martial Artist, but he was working on it. So far, he hadn't spent too much time with her because she was either hugging her trophy or doing experiments in her lab.

He had a lot of work to do on his car, and had so far managed to avoid having any of the girls see him stuff or remove things from stuff space.

Beebee was still shuddering slightly, which made Ranma realise that it probably wasn't a good idea to let go of her, so he resigned himself to working one-handed.

As with what Ranma usually did, he lost himself in his work.

Passenger seats were added of the same quality as the driver's seat.

An onboard computer was installed. It fed off the same source as the rest of the car.

A special battery was installed to receive and store bio-energy radiation, making the functions of the car possible for up to twelve hours after the driver had stepped out.

Ranma barely paused to take a sip of water. His tail decided to help once in a while, supporting what he was working on so it would not fall and break.

Ranma soon came to the deduction that should an emergency occur, requiring him to have more speed than his engine could give, a ki boost would be given from behind, like a jet engine or a nitro-boost in racing cars. It looked like twin jet engines sitting very close along the back end where the trunk would normally go.

After deliberating the issue for a while, taking the adventures Gina, Brianna and Britanny told him about under consideration, Ranma gave in and started installing weapons on the vehicle.

Twin cannons were made to pop out between the front tires and headlights, and would fire ki blasts fed from the battery storage with enough power to blow a hole through five feet of solid concrete. This made Ranma install a battery more specifically for this function so the car would not lose its additional functions while firing. The trigger would be on the steering wheel in form of twin buttons that needed to be pressed in simultaneously for three seconds to work.

From the back, a compartment was built in to store several makabishi spikes. A covered switch on the dashboard labelled "spikes" would release the latch holding the compartment closed, and would drop the spikes onto the road, potentially puncturing the tires on pursuing vehicles. This was also connected to a separate ki-tech battery, and acted like the Stuff-Space generator, in having room for more spikes than appearance dictated.

While he was on the idea of improving his car, Ranma remembered Gina mentioning that some of her cars could fly as well as drive, and some could even submerge under water. This opened up a completely new venue of ideas for the car.

Getting the car to be resistant to water would not be a problem as it was mostly water resistant already. He only needed to set up an internal system of wires to conduct his ki-tech, and maybe get the computer to route the energy to make a shield of some sort to ward off external pressure … it could also be used for minor defensive purposes … the wheels could be extended, made jointed to make it move where he steered, when he flicked a switch, and act as propellers … he could store some oxygen tanks in his stuff space, and he would be set to drive under water.

The flying would be a problem. He wasn't sure if he had the motor power to keep the car elevated for long enough to actually fly, nor did he think he could afford the energy to make those boost engines for the wheels, as it was not going to last very long …

Perhaps it was time to expand on his ki-tech and create chi-tech? A device that draws energy from surrounding elements such as air, water or even light. Having it draw from the earth could damage it akin to dropping an atomic bomb on the ground around the car, making it lifeless and infertile for generations as the soil tries to restore the energy it was robbed of. The Ph balance in the soil was a lot more influential on the planet than how saturated the air or water was with energy, and Ranma didn't want to harm the earth more than necessary. The chi-tech would have near endless sources of energy, and could therefore afford to spend more energy at once. The receptors and processors needed only had to be able to handle all that energy, something that was not all that difficult to do.

With a goal in mind, Ranma sat down at a desk and started tinkering, trying to figure out a way to make his ki-receptors switch to specified chi signatures.

It was a strenuous job to modify the chips involved, but after three hours of working, he did it. It was not something he would tell the world about, as the military could do massive damage with minimum effort if they had access to these things. If a war broke out, the world would have been obliterated within the first strike of a bomb made of chi-tech, causing an explosion equalling that of a supernova, because those military types had no sense of moderation. The fact that the world in general possesses enough explosive devices to destroy the planet ten times over was the biggest incentive he had to keep chi-tech from military eyes.

Although the good that could be done with the chi-tech also entered Ranma's mind as he installed the chi-jets into the wheels, making it so the hub caps would rotate. The good uses did not outweigh the bad uses. The outside of the hub caps were formed like propellers, and would give the car propulsion under water. The inside had a small series of jet nuzzles embedded in the propellers and centre that would give thrust in most any direction. When modes were switched to flight, the hub caps would turn inside out.

Underneath the car, a thick glowing silver strip would be seen. This was an additional feature Ranma added on after starting on the jets. It would direct a flow of chi towards the ground, the gravitational pull, and push off slightly, enough to make the car hover about two feet off the ground, which was enough for the wheels to shift positions. Flight mode would immediately activate this feature before the wheels were changed, and would not disengage before the wheels were back in correct driving position.

As he was working, he realised that it would not do for the police to pull him over, as he had no licence, so the only way to get around that was a cloaking device for when he was spotted. The shield of the car should be good enough, all he needed to do was to have the onboard computer redirect light refraction, reflecting what was on the other side of the car instead of the car itself. No sane police officer would radio in a call about a phantom car.

Ranma was so involved with his work that he didn't realise the time.

For one man, doing all that work, Ranma had worked for over twelve hours before he was done. This was an impressive feat, considering that three hours or so of that time was dedicated to finding a way to modify the ki-tech into chi-tech. Without really meaning to, Ranma had entered into a full body Chestnut fist, working at speeds unseen by the normal human eye.

He took a moment to wonder how much more scrap he had left in his stuff space before he realised it wasn't much. Most of it was used now. It was perhaps time to raid the nearest junk yard.

Beebee had enjoyed the time of close contact, but had for the past seven hours tried to snap him out of his zen state and get him to take a break, get some food, sleep or relieve himself.

It was now nearly one in the morning.

Ranma's stomach agreed with Beebee in the food part, and made sure he knew it.

-Rrrrrooowrrr!-

"Fine!" sighed Ranma in defeat. He was very tired now that the day was catching up with him. "I'll get a bite to eat, go to the bathroom, shower, then hit the sack, happy?"

-Rrrrrooowrrr!-

Apparently, it was.

Beebee was equally happy, it would be a shame if her love were to die from exhaustion or starvation when she was around to remind him to do what most people do without stopping to think about it. It was just done. If a person was hungry and had access to food, he ate. If a person had to relieve himself, he found a suitable spot and did so. If a person was tired, he found a suitable place and went to sleep.

But … being his unofficial "secretary" was a small price to pay to be around him all day.

-Sigh-

"Did you say something, Beebee?"

"Oh … er … nothing!"

Ranma didn't press the matter, and took one last glance at his finished car before stowing it away in stuff space. How odd … one of the chi-tech chips were missing … maybe he just miscounted … oh, well … it couldn't do much harm in there in its current state anyway …

* * *

Along the way to the kitchen, Beebee asked to be deposited to the ground, as she needed to ask Brianna about something while she was still awake.

Ranma, only now realising that he had held the bit bomb all day, gently lowered her to the ground and watched her roll through a mechanised doggie door next to the door of Brianna's room.

He mused for a moment about what a bit bomb would have to ask her maker about, then was reminded by his stomach that it had yet to get any of the promised events.

As Ranma entered the kitchen, he saw Gina sitting on the counter, speaking on the phone about some expedition she was trying to get together. It had to involve those Djinni she had befriended. There was no other logical explanation … she had not talked about an expedition until now, and Madrid had arrived this morning … coincidence? Not likely.

Ranma opened the fridge, and gestured to her with some of the stuff inside, silently asking permission to use them for his sandwich.

Gina looked at the performance for a moment while the person on the other end spoke, and nodded her permission just before she started to speak again.

Ranma was aware of that he was currently alone with Gina, which was one of the things Britanny had warned him about the first day, but he counted the telephone as a third party, which meant there was a chaperone of sorts.

The sandwich was not much, but it was all he could put together with what he had. American bread was not like the kind he was used to, and therefore set the taste slightly off the norm, but the tuna more than made up for it.

He found it strange that after his transformation, his affinity for fish had doubled. But then again, he had been changed into some feline creature, and cats loved fish … maybe it wasn't so odd after all …

"Tuna sandwich?" asked Gina and hopped onto the table next to where Ranma had sat down to eat.

"Yeah," confirmed Ranma, halted in the process of bringing the food to his mouth. "Want a bite?"

Now, to the normal person this offer might be considered polite … it was more significant when Ranma was involved. Having been on the road all his life with his father, hardly ever having a full belly and having to fight for what he got, sharing food was more than polite, it was a sign of trust and an offer of friendship, or in this case, an affirming offer of friendship, making sure he was still in his friend's good graces.

"Sure!" chirped Gina cheerfully. Having grown up with Britanny, Gina had grown to like the fish called tuna, as it was so rare for her to get a hold of some. Leaning in, Gina took a small chunk out of the sandwich. "Mmm!" she moaned around the juicy morsel. "This is _great_! What did you do with it?"

"I added a few spices to your sister's recipe," shrugged Ranma and proceeded to eat his sandwich. "Nothing big."

Gina finished off her bite, and stopped to stare at Ranma for a little, with curiosity in her eyes.

"You know, I haven't heard the reason why you're so short in hybrid form …" she finally stated. "Is it a birth defect like Gar's sister, Sheila, has?"

"Not to my knowledge," answered Ranma, polishing off his sandwich.

"What species of werecat are you?"

"No idea," replied Ranma casually, though preparing himself for a long line of questions. "I wasn't born as one, so I couldn't ask my parents or relatives about it."

Gina pondered his answers for a bit.

"Could you transform?" she finally asked. "I'm sure I could identify your species if I … _examined_ you …"

Not catching on the slight hesitation, Ranma saw no problem in her request, and got himself a little space on the kitchen floor before changing.

It was still an unfamiliar sensation to have one's perspective drop nearly to the ground, and Ranma found himself looking up at Gina who had frozen in temporary shock.

The shock wore off very quickly, and soon Ranma found himself being poked, prodded, lifted, twisted and turned, not unlike what judges tend to do at cat shows. The final act was to lift his chops to bare his teeth, which revealed the long and sharp fangs more clearly.

At Gina's signal, Ranma returned to hybrid form, the form he for some reason felt more comfortable in, and sat down expectantly at the table.

"Well," she started, slightly indecisive. "From the size and shape of your full cat form, I would have to say a big housecat, but the fangs would say smilodon, you would have to be somewhere in between, since the fangs aren't as ridiculously large as the smilodon, and you are larger than the average cat, I would have to say dinictis. You are a weredinictis, though how you came to be one, I have no idea …"

That made some sense to Ranma.

He was trained in the Neko-Ken, where he had been "trained" by cats to act like one in a berserker state. A berserker state dictates a more primal attitude, and thus one gets a primal feline. Happosai said that the curse would make him face his worst fears, felines. The curse had failed, and apparently turned him into a werecat instead due to the Neko-Ken. Because of the primal attitude the Neko-Ken dictated he have, an ordinary cat would not do, so it stepped back a step or two further to the ancestor of housecats; the dinictis, a small sabretoothed tiger, smilodon, with less distinct characteristics than its larger relative.

"-could ask my father," finished Gina, having gone on speaking while Ranma was thinking. "He's an Arch mage, and should be able to tell what went on …"

Ranma shook himself from his thoughts and pretended to have listened all the time, nodding his agreement. He had gotten the gist of the monologue from her finishing sentence.

"So …" continued Gina, an awkward silence spreading between them. Ranma was very aware of them being alone now, with no technical third party to act as a chaperone. "I've never gotten the time to just sit down and get to know you, Ranma."

"My life is an open book," confessed Ranma. He was almost certain that Nabiki had at one time started selling his life story. "Grew up on the road with my pop, learning how to fight, travelled the world in search of good training spots, living off the land, or in some of pop's cases, off the people … lousy thief …" he trailed off into a short mutter about what should be done to that fat panda. "Anyway, he exposed me to the darker sides of life through his idiocy, and ended up engaging me to countless girls to feed his stomach on what little they gave for dowry, then he'd grab me and run in the dead of night …" another round of angry mutters ensued. "When I had turned about sixteen, pops took me to China, to a legendary training ground, Jusenkyo … The pools of sorrow. A grand valley filled with hundreds of pools, some bigger than a Jacuzzi, some as small as a bucket, with at least one bamboo pole sticking out of them, each pool has its own tragic drowning accident … each pool having a curse …" he briefly considered not telling his host about the curse, but it would eventually come up anyway. "If you fall or enter one of the pools, you would instantly receive the body of what drowned there last … I fell into one, and my father fell into another."

"Was that how you became a weredinictis?" asked Gina, practically spellbound by the story. There was no disbelief in her visage. Normal people would by now start calling him a liar or worse, which indicated that she had some level of experience with the unusual.

"No, that came about two years later, about a month ago," corrected Ranma. "No, the cursed form my father got was a panda. Every time he was splashed with cold water, he would change into what he would have looked like had he been born a panda. To change back, he needed hot water."

"And you?"

"I fell into the Spring of Drowned Girl," confessed Ranma nervously. It was well enough that she believed in magic, and so far had sown no disgust or disbelief, but how would she handle this?

-Splash!-

"WHAT'D YOU DO THAT FOR?" demanded a soaked Ranma.

"But you didn't change!" said Gina, almost disappointed.

"I was _getting_ to that!" snapped Ranma in response. A short, angry mutter about trigger happy women followed. "I had that curse for about two years, and grew to feel more at home in it, though I _still_ won't be caught dead _pining_ over some _guy_ … then Happosai decided to curse me for not being the good student he wanted me to be …"

"Happosai?" asked Gina, looking as though she was starting to make plans for another expedition. "Isn't that the urban legend about a tiny troll that runs about the land, stealing underwear and groping anything in a skirt?"

"You heard of him?"

"Of course!" retorted Gina proudly. "I make it my business to know about urban legends, or even legends in general, as it often leads to discovering things long forgotten! The legend of Happosai goes back at least a hundred-and-fifty years, but dwindled away for a nearly twenty-year period only to resurface nearly two years ago … some think it's just a copy-cat, but others disagree."

"Anyway," continued Ranma, slightly weary of the woman now. "Happosai tried to curse me, mentioning something about me facing my greatest fears. He read from this crumbling old scroll while pointing a _stick_ at me, and while he read, everything grew hot, so hot that his sleeves caught fire, making him say somethin' he wasn't supposed to, and then the curse hit me and ruined my favourite shirt … when the light show died down, I was what you see now."

"What happened to your girl curse?" asked a curious Gina.

"It changed as well," replied Ranma and shifted to female hybrid form. "Unlike normal werecreatures, I appear to have six forms instead of three. Three male forms and three female forms. Human, hybrid and beast."

"This …" started Gina, as she stared in shock. "… is …" Ranma prepared himself for the accusations and insults that usually came with the knowledge of his cursed form. "… so _COOL_!"

"Eh?"

"You're a unique being!" screamed Gina and embraced the weredinictis, squishing their … _talents_ together … Ranma nearly blacked out from the sensory overload. "As far as I know, there are no other weredinictis since there weren't any around when Iceron made the werecreatures! You're unique!"

Ranma shifted back to male form as soon as Gina let him go and had to take a seat to calm himself.

Gina, noticing his embarrassment got a sly grin on her face.

"So, Ranma …" she purred and leaned on his shoulder … her lack of proper support beneath the sweater was made very clear to him. "Are you a virgin?"

Ranma blushed brightly enough for it to shine through his black coat of fur and started stuttering about it not being her business.

"You are!" exclaimed Gina and made sure to press herself more against him. She studied his slightly more controlled reaction. "But you've had some sexual contact, right?"

"Hard not to with that nympho Amazon after me," muttered Ranma darkly. The thought of a naked and well endowed woman sleeping next to him without his prior knowledge served to arouse him like with normal men, but also to anger him, those Amazons never did take his thoughts and feelings into consideration when they made plans for _his life_.

Those two female, evil beings he encountered before landing on Jade didn't really count … he had merely done what so many people threaten to do and shoved the horns of those guys where the sun didn't shine … just not into the orifices of the owners … and it was in the heat of battle, so there really hadn't been much time to admire or even study the view.

"Okay, I'll stop teasing … _for now_," giggled Gina and gave his shoulders a squeeze. "So, what did you invent? Except your car …"

It was a safer topic than sex, Ranma assumed, and started to relax again.

"Well … there is this thing I call ki-tech, it works by absorbing the bio-energy radiation of a living being," explained Ranma. "The first thing I made it for, was this thing I call the Stuff-Space generator, which -"

"-"creates a fold in space within a designated container, allowing for as much as twenty times normal volume"," quoted Gina, shock written all over her face. "'Scuse me!"

Ranma watched in surprise as the blonde scientist ran from the kitchen without another word.

"I wonder what I said that drove her away …" he asked no one in particular.

Five minutes later, as Ranma was starting to clean up after himself, Gina returned with her arms full of magazines.

"I know it's in here somewhere!" she muttered and started rummaging though the pile she had dropped onto the table.

Ranma came over, curious about what was going on.

"Aha!" yelled Gina triumphantly and held up a slightly wrinkled magazine. "Here!"

Ranma glanced at the science magazine and was about to ask what she was talking about, when he noticed his own human face grinning back at him from the cover.

Before Gina knew it, the magazine was out of her hands and nearly pressed against Ranma's face.

"Scientist of the Year?" demanded Ranma, "How did they find out about this? _I_ never told anyone!"

"Well, someone did, and you're making tons of money on royalties as we speak!" interrupted Gina. "The military of any country in the world is interested in this thing because they will be able to carry more weapons and ammo into battle. The same holds true for nearly any other trafficking business, your invention will even allow mailmen to carry more post if they have to without adding weight to their load! You're an international hero!"

"But the article says that a panel of experts is calling my invention a hoax," argued Ranma, having briefly read the article while Gina was ranting.

"Seeing is believing," quoted Gina. "They are merely disbelieving because of your age. Potential customers were given a demonstration of the product before they bought it! It says so right … there!"

Ranma read the part Gina indicated.

"President Iwo …" growled Ranma, then sighed. "I guess he meant well …"

"I understand how you feel," commented Gina. "I've been judged because of my age and appearance as well … you wouldn't _believe_ how many people think I slept my way to my doctor's degree!"

Ranma nodded in understanding.

"D' you mind if I use the phone?" he asked after a moment of silence. "I need to try contacting my mother again, let her know I'm fine."

"Knock yourself out, Ranma," said Gina and patted his head. "Good night."

"Good night," returned Ranma and got up. He picked up the phone and started dialling. "Hello, is this the Tokyo Telephone Service?" he asked after a moment of waiting. "Could you connect me to a Nodoka Koki? … Yes, I'll hold, thank you."

* * *

In Tokyo, Nodoka Koki stopped by her apartment in a hurry.

For the past few weeks, in an effort to keep herself busy, she had started teaching kendo after work. Not many knew this, but Nodoka had been educated as and hired to be a professor in Fitness. During the day, she taught at the community college, and lately she added teaching kendo to the students of Furinkan High, her son's former school.

She had stopped by her apartment for a quick shower and a change of clothes before she had to run to catch the train.

Nabiki was working overtime a lot these past days, and seemed almost in a daze when she got back home, muttering about money and such.

Kasumi was busy studying medicine. When she wasn't studying, she was working part time at a local clinic as a secretary, to pay for her education and get some practical insight into the medical profession until she was scheduled for her internship.

Nodoka had just disrobed and turned on the hot water when the phone rang.

"Nah, the machine will take it," she brushed off. The answering machine was a new acquisition, as of yesterday. One of the neighbours, a nice old lady who seemed to be concerned with all her neighbours, had complained that the phone rang for long periods of time for the past week, and no one had been at home to answer it. Nabiki had picked up the machine on the way back from work.

She was really pressed for time, and she could not afford to lose any more by answering the phone and ending up yelling at some pervert for breathing heavily on the other end.

" You have reached the residence of Nodoka Koki, Nabiki Tendo and Kasumi Tendo, we are not in at the moment, but please leave a message after the beep, and we will do our best to contact you when we get back. " She heard the machine read. Oh, how she hated to hear her own voice on recording. Nodoka stepped into the hot water and started soaping up.

-Beeep!-

" Uh ," started an insecure male voice, obviously not used to nor expecting to be answered by a machine. " Hi, mom! " Ranma? " I just called to say I'm fine … sort of … I'm currently in America … Atlanta, Georgia to be more precise. " Nodoka hurriedly rinsed out the shampoo from her hair and scrubbed her face free of soap. Her boy was on the phone! " You can reach me at the number for Gina Diggers if you need to, just remember the fourteen hour time difference, " Nodoka stepped out of the shower in a hurry, nearly slipping on the wet floor, and rushed for the telephone in the hallway. " Um, bye! "

"Ranma!" screamed Nodoka desperately as she picked up the phone. But it was just half a second too late, as the ending beep of the message told her.

The elderly neighbour was suddenly the unfortunate victim of sound pollution, as a loud string of profanities were screamed from the kind, single mother next door.

* * *

Ranma hung up, disappointed that he kept missing his mother whenever he called.

At least she had gotten an answering machine, so now she would know he had called.

It was time to go to the bathroom.

With that, Ranma left the kitchen to grab a shower before going to bed.

A moment later, Beebee entered the kitchen in search of Ranma.

Not finding him in the kitchen, the bit bomb was about to leave when the telephone rang.

Beebee didn't think there was a reason to let the machine get it, so she got it instead, that she was a machine as well wasn't important.

"Diggers' residence, this is Beebee speaking, how may I help you?" answered Beebee sweetly, much like her maker and her sisters did whenever she was expecting a call from her father about how much money was spent from his account.

* * *

Back in Tokyo, Nodoka had managed to compose herself somewhat before making the call, and was both disappointed and pleased to have a woman answer the phone.

"Yes," she answered politely. "This is Nodoka Koki, Ranma's mother, he called me a few minutes ago, but I was indisposed and couldn't reach the phone in time … is he there?"

" You're Ranma's mother? " asked the sweet woman's voice on the other end.

"Yes, dear, is he there?"

" No, I was looking for him, myself … " answered the woman, Beebee. " He may be in the shower, on the way to bed … he was very tired and gritty, he has been working all day on his car! "

Nodoka was slightly disappointed with her own timing. Then she got curious.

"Tell me, dear," she started. "You seem to know my son, what is your relationship with him?"

She could almost hear the woman blush on the other end.

" Oh my, " squeaked Beebee. " Well, _I_ love _him_, but he only sees me as a friend. "

Nodoka could hear the tint of disappointment in the woman's voice.

"No matter, dear," consoled Nodoka. "He'll come around if you're not too forward, possessive or violent with him."

" You really think so? " asked a hopeful Beebee.

"I'm sure of it," affirmed Nodoka. "Would you mind telling him what times he may call in the future?"

" Oh, no problem, Ms Koki! "

"Please, call me _auntie_!"

A few minutes later, after leaving the proper times, made in correspondence with the time difference, Nodoka hung up, thinking what a lovely and polite woman her son had found.

Now, she only had to call the Kendo Club of Furinkan High and say she wasn't going to make it today.

"Better tag on a threat to keep those weak-minded fools from listening to that sterile, poetry-spouting imbecile," she muttered to herself as she dialled the number. "Maybe five hundred strikes on a metal pole with their bokken, single-handed and per arm … while wearing weighted clothing … in the rain … perfect!"

* * *

In a dark prison in the outskirts of Tokyo, Genma Saotome, the sole remaining Saotome, was trying to get comfortable in his solitary cell.

This was by no means a simple task, being as the cell was so small, and dark. His bruises and fractures did not help make him more comfortable.

Being a Martial Artist, Genma was prone to heal quicker than most people, so whatever wounds he had gotten from the arrest had healed by the end of one of the fastest legal proceedings in history. One hour! That was the whole trial! One day in temporary prison awaiting the trial, one hour for the trial, most of which was spent reading the long, long list of offences he had committed during his four decades or so of life, a few minutes for the prosecutor to make his case, and a moment for the defence to surrender because Genma had tried to pick his lawyer's pocket on the way in, then three seconds for the jury to agree that he was guilty as sin right in front of him, and another twenty seconds for the judge to add up the crimes to figure out his punishment, which came out to a couple of centuries. It would have been more, but there were repeated offences, so not all of them could be counted again. If he behaved himself and didn't show that he was a menace to society, he may be let out on parole in ninety years. Oh joy!

The reason for Genma's current accommodations and condition, was that during his time in the yard, some of the more butch inmates decided that the fat bastard would be an ideal "companion". Genma disagreed and beat them up when they "approached" him. The guards didn't care if Genma had acted in self defence or not, he had beaten several inmates badly enough to land them in the hospital ward for up to a month, and insisted he was resisting their efforts to return him to his cell, which warranted them to administer a light beating to make him comply. As punishment for making them use real effort, Genma was put in solitary for a month.

"This is all the fault of my worthless, honourless son!" cried Genma for the millionth time since he had gotten here.

-Splat!-

"Oops, put a little too much force into sliding the plate in, lieutenant!" apologised the pimply-faced guard, who had only started working here a week ago and was still learning.

"Don't worry, that fat tub of lard needs to be put on a diet," groused the senior officer.

In his dark cell, Genma expelled tears into the mashed potatoes that decorated his face. They expected him to lose _more_ weight? He had already lost ten pounds since Kasumi left the house! He was not crying, that would not be manly.

-Sniffle-

"My meal …"

* * *

In Nerima, Kodachi Kuno was pining after her dearly departed Ranma-Sama. He had died a heroic death, battling the pervert demon known as Happosai, and would be missed.

On her wall, a giant poster of Ranma in battle with her brother, that blind Chinese man, that brute with the fangs and the pervert demon. He was clearly the victorious one.

According to custom, though she wasn't clear on which culture it was from, a black strip of cloth was crossing the upper left corner of the poster, representing her mourning over the heroic figure in it.

Her Ranma-Sama may not have gotten a funeral yet, due to those pencil-pushing bureaucrats in the government, but when he did get one, she would be there to speak about how great he was, and how much he loved her.

Kodachi was tempted to join her love in death, but the thought of what her insane family would make of the Kuno name halted her decision in the matter. No, she was certain Ranma-Sama would understand that she was needed to maintain her family honour through her own flawless ideals.

"Perhaps it is time to start spicing my family's food to bring them under control," mused the dark-headed beauty. "_My_ control, that is. Ohohohohoho!"

* * *

Meanwhile in the outback of Australia, Ryoga and Akane were standing over a map of America.

"I'm telling you, we're in Sahara!" argued Ryoga stubbornly. Who did she think she was to come here and tell him he's lost, he knew exactly where he was.

"Ryoga, you baka," replied Akane sweetly. This was odd. "We're in Siberia! There isn't much plant-life in Sahara!"

To clarify the oddness of the situation, let us review some history.

Only days after Ranma's death, Akane joined Ryoga in his quest to find a means to make Ranma's afterlife even worse. Her own quest was to find Nabiki and Kasumi and make them come home so things could go back to normal.

Not even a day after she joined him on his quest, Akane had discovered Ryoga's curse when P-chan had appeared and poured hot water over himself, and after being restrained from beating him senseless, at which time he explained things to her, she too realised that it was all Ranma's fault.

It had taken her almost another day to forgive him for keeping this from her.

Over the next week, she had grown close to Ryoga as they travelled the globe, and only two days before where we came in, they had consummated their relationship. Again, and again, and again. The superior stamina of Martial Artists was nothing to scoff at in this context.

Now, Akane's quest was altered only a little. She now wanted to find her sisters so they could keep her house while she and her husband were out on the occasional training trip, and taking care of them when they were home. That had always been their job within the family, so that was how it was supposed to be.

Unfortunately, if it was upon the physical declaration of love and intended lifelong partnership or not didn't matter, the Hibiki family curse had rubbed off on her, and her sense of direction was now as poor as or worse than Ryoga's, which was the reason they were standing in the great outback, arguing over which continent they were on.

* * *

In the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, a trio of rats were deposited through a teleportation portal into a dumpster behind a Chinese Restaurant.

"OW!" the three managed to moan.

"Eeeeew!" complained Moisha. "It, like, stinks in here!"

"How come we always get deposited in such terrible locations?" wondered Romeo.

"Because you were f#&ing leering at the woman mage's chest while we were negotiating the price of the teleportation, you f#&ing pervert!"

"Shhh!" hissed Moisha. "Like, I think someone's, y' know, coming!"

"Ugh, those pigs!" groaned a girl. "Why can't the customers finish their meals like normal people? There's always so many leftovers to throw out at the end of the day!"

"Maybe your mother's cooking is the reason?" suggested the elder boy playfully.

"Sek si!" growled the girl.

"Why not, must taste better than your mother's cooking!" laughed the boy.

The girl dumped the large bucket of cold and smelly leftovers into the dumpster, making sure to spread it evenly. The last time she had not done this, the stuff had overflowed on one side, spilling over her shoes. It had taken forever to get the smell out and they _still_ felt dirty.

She thought she heard someone moaning in disgust, but after the first time she had thought that, right after having seen some show where the main characters had hid in a dumpster and got soaked in disgusting refuse, she wasn't going to look in again. The sight of the inside of this dumpster always churned her stomach.

With a disgusted groan, the girl returned to the inside of the restaurant, stopping only to stuff the dirty bucket onto the annoying boy's head and give him a kick in the shins to make him lose his balance.

-Crash!-

"You clumsy oaf! Stop playing around and get back to cleaning those utensils!" barked an old man at the boy. His granddaughter was of course not to blame for the mess.

The door closed, on the noisy kitchen and the three rats allowed themselves to release their reactions.

"Eeeeeew!"

"I feel so disgusting!" complained Romeo.

"Like, you always were!" commented Moisha, trying to overcome her queasy feeling. There was no reason to add to their already soiled state.

Ignoring the jibe at his person, Romeo continued. "Why are we here? I thought we weren't allowed to return until we had taken care of the werecat?"

"We weren't, you f#&, but since we can't find him, I thought it would be for the best to seek out the only other real f#&ing enemy we had and get rid of her, so we at least have f#&ing something to give Lord Gothwrain!"

"Right, like, a peace offering for not completing our, y' know, mission!"

"Better than nothing, I guess," sighed Romeo.

"Like, where do we get, y' know, cleaned up?"

"Wherever the f#& it is, this f#&ing _perv_ isn't going to be with us!"

* * *

Elsewhere in Atlanta, Lord Talon was addressing his hired hands.

"Alright, _you_ saw them at the banquet," said Peewee, looking pointedly at Daishi. "These people are your targets!"

-Click!-

A slide projected onto the white wall of his lab, depicting the all too familiar werecheetah sitting at the same banquet table as a group of people. The werecheetah and a man with dark hair and Asian features were marked with a red ring around them.

-Click!-

Another image slid into place, replacing the previous with an image of the same werecheetah sparring with a short, unknown werecat with black fur.

"The new target's name is Ranma Koki, inventor of the Stuff-Space generator, and is currently residing with the Diggers sisters for reasons unknown," explained Peewee. "He, although he may be a fellow scientist, is a werecreature, and I _must_ have a sample of his DNA! That is where you come in," he added, pointing at his three employees in turn. "You will approach him and Mrs 'Gia about obtaining those samples, if they are unwilling to cooperate, you may use force, or if the situation escalates to desperate levels, use silver weapons to persuade them. I'm sure they would be more than happy to help if you do this."

"I do wish you had damned the expense and gone for moving images, my Lord," hissed Daishi. "From the still images, it is not possible to properly determine the skill of this new target." To be honest, he hardly remembered the night of the banquet, thanks to the fight with Monty, and could not remember having seen this young man there. He only remembered with horror the fight with Monty, or rather, the end of it … the _horror_!

"No sweat," snorted Zelda arrogantly. "The guy's a _pushover_, all scientists are in a real fight! Just make sure he doesn't get the chance to get any weapons or anything!"

"I would have preferred to have seen the man in person before making any judgements," commented Ionis. "You should have brought me to the banquet, Lord Talon, and I would know how big a threat he is."

"What's with the sudden wimpy attitude?" demanded Zelda. "We just do like we normally do only to this guy, and hold him as a hostage to get the werecheetah to _fight fairly_ instead of _cheating_!"

There was a moment of silence as the group thought it over.

"Very well," agreed Daishi. "It is time to pay the Diggers' back for losing us the quiz show with the Djinni!"

"Excellent!" said Peewee in a fair imitation of that yellow, rich, old man from that animation series named after the family it is about. "Bwahahahahahahaha!"

Ah, yes, the evil cackle … the best part of being a villain …

"Peewee!" snapped a stern female voice from behind, shaking said ten year old scientist from his laughter.

"Uh oh!"

"What did I say about staying up so late with your little friends?" asked the woman, placing her fists at her hips. "Your curfew was three hours ago!"

The evil little boy's cries of not embarrassing him in front of his minions were ignored as Peewee's mother pulled him along by the ear. It was bedtime.

* * *

Author's Notes; Another chapter revised … not much was changed, but a few words here and there, as well as a couple of sentences rephrased can make a world of difference.

If you do not know the entire series, then I recommend you seek out where the series can be found. Both Ranma and Gold Digger are excellent series on their own, and I highly recommend them to any who have yet to read them.

Translation; "Sek si," according to _The Little Book of Essential Foreign Insults_, by Emma Burgess, this is Chinese for "Eat Shit!" If this is incorrect, please inform me so that I may correct it.


	12. Chapter 12

(Re-Posted January 11th 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

"Mmmm!"

Food, one of the quickest ways to wake Ranma without making him grumble, more effective than smelling salts, more humane than a bucket of ice cold water or an impromptu flight out a second storey window.

The scent of a traditional Japanese breakfast wafted into Ranma's sensitive nose, rebooting the mental computer that was Ranma. Breakfast was good, there was no feeling of impending doom that usually meant someone would hit him in order to get him up, and the lack of any ki in the room told him it was a benevolent source of food.

"Good morning, Ranma!" chirped a sweet female voice cheerfully from his left side, on the bed.

"'Morning Beebee," yawned the weredinictis and turned to look at her. "Did you have a good night?"

The bit bomb nodded and blushed.

"I made you breakfast," she added and nudged herself towards the bedside table, where a super-sized bowl of Miso soup was standing at the ready, chopsticks already unwrapped, clean and sitting on the edge of the bowl.

Ranma's affections towards the small robot doubled at the sight of his favourite dish … food!

Had she been organic, Ranma would have offered Beebee to eat with him, but he didn't know how much damage it would do to her currently inorganic systems, or if she even could get the stuff in.

How she managed to accomplish this without any arms or hands, Ranma didn't really want to ask … some mystery was the spice of life.

For every bite, Ranma swore he could see Beebee puff up with more pride, with every slurp he made, she would practically beam. Ranma realised that this was how Kasumi reacted at every meal, though Beebee was far less subtle about her reactions … she felt _appreciated_ … being so small, there was little she could do to make herself known, apart from blowing up, but Ranma had asked her not to do that to get his attention. Being his self-appointed secretary gave Beebee a higher purpose in life, and it was making her happy so he allowed her to do it.

Wait a minute … was she starting to manifest an aura?

That couldn't be, he must be imagining it.

Ranma was almost tempted to lick the bowl clean when he finished, but it was bad etiquette to do so, and he neatly placed the bowl on the bedside table.

"That was delicious, Beebee," announced Ranma. "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome," blushed Beebee.

Ranma swept the bit bomb into his arm and the bowl in the other.

"I may have to apply for another patent," sighed Ranma in way of conversation as they made their way to the kitchen.

"I understand," agreed Beebee.

"I didn't want the world to know about it, but Iwo forced my hand …"

"Of course," agreed Beebee. "And with the correct times to call your mother, you will not have to worry about her."

"What times?" asked Ranma.

"She called last night," said Beebee. "She was disappointed that you had gone to bed, but was kind enough to leave the appropriate times to call her with me."

"That's great!" to be honest, Ranma was more relieved now that he knew his mother was fine. That was one less burden to bear.

"And I'm sure Gina can give you a hand with your patent applications," added Beebee.

"Good to know," replied Ranma. "I'll speak with her after lunch."

* * *

After putting away his bowl in the kitchen's dishwasher, Ranma sought out the workout room. He had yet to see it, but from the way Britanny bragged about it, it must have been a nice place to increase his strength, what with the hydraulic weights that could be set for resistance of a certain amount of weight instead of making physical weights that weighed as much as printed on them. This would allow for a bigger challenge in how much one could bench press.

This is what he found Britanny doing … pressing the bar above her head at nearly two tons worth of resistance.

Not wanting to disturb her with more than a ton in her hands, Ranma went over to the tread mill and started its program.

Beebee made her place next to the machine and observed.

After a short while, the programming of the tread mill started to speed up steadily.

Ranma loved this challenge, it was not often he got to run at top speeds without having to worry about obstacles popping up along the way or having to make any sudden turns or shifts of momentum to shake pursuers off his trail.

To any normal person, Ranma was little more than a stationary black blur. The tread mill was approaching its maximum safety speed which was what Britanny could run at top speeds. However, only Beebee was present to see it, and even her optical sensors were having a hard time keeping up with enough frames per second to capture his movements.

She made a note to get her optical sensors upgraded in the near future. Maybe along with the other upgrades she had thought of.

Ranma suddenly leapt off the tread mill, and started doing stretches.

The speed bag was his next victim, and it was moving so fast, it looked like it didn't know if it was coming or going.

Finally, after another set of stretches, Ranma started a light kata. It was composed of several different styles, flowing from one to another to give him the best balanced stance, power and grace. How stylish it was had no say in the matter, what did matter was that it got the job done quickly and with enough power behind it to be a threat, but without being overly wasteful.

To most people, this light kata was equal to what Martial Arts Masters and Grandmasters would show to draw students to their schools. It was beyond normal limitations.

It was during this kata that Ryan stepped inside to give the equipment a try, and he stopped to watch the kid go through it. Britanny also ended her reps during this time and watched the fellow lycanthrope fight invisible opponents. It was an impressive sight.

For several minutes, there was no movement but Ranma's.

Finally, Ranma slowed down to a halt and started stretching again.

Applause met his ears.

Britanny and Ryan were clapping their hands in praise at his performance, and Beebee was simulating the sound on her own with a studio recording of an audience.

This stroked Ranma's ego somewhat. Sure, he had killed the demigod Saffron, fought Herb the dragon descendent to a standstill while levelling a mountain, and fought a Jade Weapons-Master to a standstill without the use of some of his more exotic techniques … but it was still nice to leave people impressed with his skill.

He was about to ask either of the two for a quick spar, when _she_ entered, clapping and with an appraising look on her face.

"Wonderful performance … Ranma, was it?" complimented Madrid huskily.

Beebee glared at the Djinni, already registering the increased pheromone output she was giving off to attract _her_ love.

Ranma immediately slipped into the Soul of Ice, refusing to give away anything in expression, and nodded stiffly.

His body was trying to react to the saunter the well put-together woman did in closing the space between them, but his grip on the Soul of Ice prevented it.

Ryan, who had puffed himself up at the sight of the sexy woman was disappointed when she went right past him without offering him a glance. What did the kid have that he didn't? He had bigger muscles than the kid, he probably had him in the brains department, he was stronger, faster and probably had greater endurance than the kid … provided, the boy had some skills, but he wouldn't be able to apply the practiced knowledge he just showed he had in an actual fight, right? After all, this was just a werecreature kid from Jade, right? From what he had heard, they didn't have technology much beyond the wheel and blades, and judging from the mage suit, he was no more of a physical fighter in real life than Seance had been. In short, the guy had to be a wimp.

Now, let it be noted that Ryan has never really showed an interest in learning anything about Ranma other than where he had just come from and what his name was. It should not then be surprising that he was blissfully unaware of Ranma's true skill, intelligence or origin.

Madrid pressed herself against Ranma, making sure he got an eyeful of her goods and started playing with his tail.

"No," said Ranma without needing to hear the question.

"No to what?" purred Madrid.

"No," repeated Ranma icily. "I will not take part in whatever you are scheming, no matter what it is."

Of course, Madrid's ego became bruised at this blow, but she didn't let go once she had set her sights on someone.

"Oh, why did you think I was scheming something?" she asked, making sure to sound hurt. "I'm just trying to be nice!"

Even to Ranma, who was deep in the Soul of Ice, this sounded very genuine, but he knew that trick very well and wasn't going to fall for it no matter how well it was played. He had made a promise to himself not to be as easy to trick or manipulate as he was before, and giving in at the slightest show of emotion could get him killed one of these days if some assassin figured out his weakness for sad girls.

"Nice try," he commented. "Not falling for it, and I'm still not going to take part in your schemes."

The annoyed and offended Djinni stomped her foot, which she had placed over his, and stomped over to Ryan where she again started up her charms. Ranma was not hurt any more than he would if a ball of cotton were to hit him from a height of three inches.

Ryan seemed to have gotten over the jealousy now that the attention was directed at the right person, and was flirting as much with Madrid as she was with him.

Ranma picked up Beebee and stated to the room in general that he was going outside to meditate.

Britanny watched him go before glaring at the back of the cheating boyfriend of Gina, then cast a look at the security camera mounted in a corner of the room, hoping her sister hadn't seen this. She was fragile enough in the world of love without having yet another failed attempt at it to bring her down.

* * *

In her lab, Gina was nearly crushing her microscope as she watched the security feed from the workout room. Her glasses were in the way of drying her eyes at the betrayal, and she was tempted to run down there and make sure Ryan never did anything like this to another woman for as long as he lived, but a calming hand brought her out of it.

"There's no use getting angry, Gina," said Dao, the four-armed male Djinni. "That is what Madrid does … why do you think I divorced her? Let it pass and life will get better."

Gina huffed for a few moments before forcing herself to calm down.

"Alright," she agreed. "We still have the new Hurtbot Beta-tech prototypes to finish … and Ryan better hope he's out of the house before they are done, or I might feel tempted to _test_ them _on him_ …"

As she started to focus her attention on her work, she wondered why her boyfriend couldn't exercise as much restraint as Ranma did.

Wasn't she pretty enough to have constantly in the back of his thoughts?

Weren't their relationship serious enough to give her the courtesy of remaining faithful?

Why did Ranma seem more resistant to the Djinni's charms than Ryan? He didn't have anyone back home to remain faithful to, she checked, they had all moved away from the area only days after Ranma said he had appeared on Jade.

Did this mean that he had feelings for someone here?

Who?

Why did she suddenly feel hopeful that she was the one?

* * *

Ranma managed to get outside without incident. He had stopped by the kitchen for a drink of water, but that was it.

Outside, Ranma found a soft patch of grass and sat down, placing Beebee in front of him.

"Please, don't be insulted, but I'm going to be meditating now, and that means I'll have to ignore you for a little while," said Ranma.

"I'll be fine," replied Beebee. "You would have to do a lot worse to insult me … but what will you meditate on?"

"While on Jade," started Ranma, smiling at the memory, "I witnessed several techniques that I've not been able to repeat on my own. I need to review those moments, see the flows of energy and try to find a way to copy them … should be a bit different, though … they used some sort of external energy source, I'll be using my own.

"Now, if you'd excuse me …"

Beebee silently nodded, well, tilted her front body up and down to simulate a nod in acceptance, and made herself comfortable as Ranma started meditating.

A faint distortion was visible surrounding Ranma, not unlike how the air distorts along heated pavement, a sign that he had started his deep meditation.

In his mind, Ranma was going over the techniques he had seen used while in Jade.

"There was Fire Ball, which spewed a ball of fire at me, not unlike what Saffron did …" he muttered. "Force Bolt was just a ball of compressed air that would explode upon impact … Lightning Bolt caused a bolt of lightning to be shot at me, but due to the patterns it makes in the chi of an area before discharging, it is a bit predictable and easy to avoid … Crescent Cutter is a bit like the Yama-Sen-Ken techniques, only with more flare … Sleep seemed to convince a person that they were tired and needed rest without having to worry about the goings on around them … Freeze seemed to encase the victim in a cube of ice … and it looked like one of them could use Telekinesis, if I remember the terminology correctly …

"Now, how to make them on my own …"

* * *

On the roof of the Diggers home were three wererats in ninja costumes, hiding behind the apex of the roof.

"I can't believe our good fortune!" whispered an excited Romeo. "We came for the werecheetah and ended up finding our target! Now we can hand them _both_ over to Lord Gothwrain and be honoured as heroes!"

"Like, we may even get, like, a raise!" added Moisha. "What do you think, Lydia?"

The two turned to the usually brass wererat to see her staring at the werecat with wide eyes.

" Lydia?"

No response apart from a slight blush emerging from behind her mask.

" Lydia!"

-Smack!-

"Ow!" winced Lydia, rubbing her posterior where Moisha had whipped her with her own tail. "What the f#& did you do that for, b#&?"

"You were, like, drooling after our target!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was too, repeated infinitely! Like, I win!"

"Was not, repeated infinitely plus one!"

"Like, you can't do that!"

"Can too!"

"There isn't, y' know, more than infinity! You can't, like, add one more onto it!"

"Can too!"

"Can not!"

"Can too!"

"Can not!"

"Will you keep quiet!" hissed Romeo, interrupting what could have turned out to be one of the greater philosophical debates of the millennium. "I say we attack now, while he's distracted and vulnerable!"

"Like, Okay! Let's do it!"

* * *

Meanwhile, along the fence that surrounded the property, another trio was watching Ranma meditate.

"_Damn_, that boy is good looking!" complained Zelda.

"He is?" asked Ionis. "Why didn't you think so when we were looking at his picture?"

"I don't know, I wasn't focusing as much on his … _wonderful_ physique as much as I was focused on the mission …"

"I believe something is muddling up your thoughts on the matter," commented Daishi, studying the boy. "He seems to have some skill … probably seventh dan black belt …"

"What style?" asked Ionis, fighters of certain styles tended to have an easier time avoiding his spells.

"All of them."

"C'mon, he can't be that good!" protested Zelda weakly, lingering on Ranma's chest through his mage suit. "He's a scientist! And by the looks of it, a mage!"

"I must confess, it is unprecedented to have a student or master of the disciplines of Mind, Body _and_ Spirit, they are not always compatible with each other," agreed Ionis. "However, we should use caution upon approaching him, his aura is very chaotic!"

"Let's kick some werecat tail!" called Zelda enthusiastically, brandishing her silver knuckles. "Dibs on him when we're done getting the samples!"

* * *

Ranma was close to a breakthrough with one of the techniques when he felt the fur along his neck rise. Danger.

He grabbed Beebee and rolled backwards.

Not a second later, a bald woman, in a green one-piece bathing suit and green knee-high boots, crashed feet first into the ground where he had been sitting in a high powered stomp, creating a three foot wide crater.

As soon as Ranma's feet touched the ground, he thrust his legs, reversing his direction and sending him into the air in a parabolic arch over the bald woman. Again, not a second after he moved, the spot where he had been was exposed to an attack. A silver shinobigatana was sliced into the ground, held by a ninja, who was tracking his trajectory with a slightly slower movement than Ranma was doing.

In the middle of the leap, Ranma shifted his weight and changed trajectory, avoiding what he identified as a Force Bolt fired by a bald black guy with a floating tome in the air before him.

As he touched down, Ranma stepped aside, narrowly avoiding a volley of shuriken thrown by another ninja, this one with a rat's tail sticking out of his posterior.

Calmly, Ranma bowed forward, ducking under the first ninja's silver sword which was sweeping in from behind.

Reversing his body, he bent over backwards, balancing on one leg and punched the ninja who was still finishing his swing in the solar plexus. Then in an impressive display, did a one-handed back-flip over the hunched ninja, easily avoiding a double hammer blow to his stomach by the bald and endowed woman with the slim sunglasses and tight suit.

As he landed, Ranma went limp, flattening himself to the ground in time to avoid another Force Bolt that sailed over him and hit the recovering ninja in the back, sending him careening into the bald lady.

Ranma rolled over in time to avoid another volley of stars thrown by a very well endowed female ninja with puffy purple hair and a rat's tail.

Tucking his feet in and rolling forward, Ranma avoided the fist of another female ninja with a rat's tail and launched himself into the air once more. Once more, he changed directions in mid air, and avoided a Force Bolt that took out the upper Southeast corner of the house.

Despite his past history, Ranma realised that the trio of rat ninja were not cooperating with the others, and that he had somehow in the course of his week here managed to egg on two very hostile groups … lovely.

Upon landing, Ranma crouched under another volley of stars and did an unassisted back-flip, landing on the "talented" rat-ninja's shoulders and forcing her into the ground, becoming a springboard to launch himself higher and avoiding a fireball sent by the mage. The fireball flew over the downed rat-ninja and crashed into the recovering ninja and bald lady, exploding in fiery glory. The two burning figures ran about in a panic to put themselves out, rational thought having left them.

Having had enough of the cowardly mage, Ranma altered his trajectory and crashed into him feet first, much like how the bald lady was planning on doing to him in her initial attack.

The male rat-ninja came at Ranma with a dagger, and Ranma ducked under it with a low sweep kick that made the rat-ninja fall face first into the ground. This was followed by an elbow to the back of the rat-ninja's head.

The two female rat-ninja had seemingly decided that cooperation was in order and were rushing in before jumping into separate kicks, the well endowed one going low and the other going high. Ranma stood his ground and grabbed hold of the leg headed for his face, using the leverage to fling the rat-ninja into the air, causing her to become little more than a dot in the sky, much like Happosai used to do to him. The other lost her balance from the kick that failed to knock Ranma down, and was distracted enough to allow an elbow to find the back of her head.

Ranma sat Beebee down on the ground.

"Beebee, go inside and find someone who might be able to deal with these people," he said gently to her. The rapid and sudden motion she had been a part of for the past minute had disoriented her a little.

"Roger!" she squeaked and zipped inside as fast as her little wheels could carry her.

After seeing her gone, Ranma held out his arms.

-Thwump!-

The female rat-ninja was still very shocked and disoriented from the unexpected flight, and was unable to figure out that her opponent had caught her.

Ranma calmly set her on the ground and turned back, clapping his hands together.

From seemingly nowhere, a silver shinobigatana materialised between the palms of the weredinictis, held by a scorched ninja, who looked to be struggling with it.

"It is one thing to attack me," growled Ranma. "But I will not accept you endangering the lives of others!"

Because of the effort the ninja was putting into holding the sword, it was easy for Ranma to twist it out of his grip.

With unnatural grace, Ranma bent over backwards and ran the silver sword through the thick tome behind him, which the battered mage had been slowly making his way towards, and struck the mage's face, knocking him out. As he bent, Ranma's foot flew out both to balance himself and to land a solid kick to the ninja's chin, sending him flying several feet backwards.

The technique he had been working on just came to him as Ranma straightened himself.

"Freeze!" he growled icily, extending his arm at the crumbled ninja.

The air surrounding the ninja solidified, and suddenly, the ninja was encased in a thick ice cube.

Looking around the yard, Ranma was disappointed to see that none of the six were able to fight any longer.

"C'mon!" he called out with disappointment. "Just five more minutes! I'll even tie the other arm behind my back!"

Seeing that no one were making any move to attack him any more, Ranma was about to head inside to see what was taking Beebee so long when he noticed that the rat-ninja he had sat down was staring at him in shock, quivering slightly.

"'You okay?" he asked cautiously. "Did I hurt you?"

Getting no response, Ranma waved his hand in front of the rat-ninja's face.

With a squeak, the eyes of the rat-ninja rolled back into her head and she fell over, landing with her head down the cleavage of the female rat-ninja that had an abundance of said part.

Not wanting to get painted out as the bad guy, Ranma decided to bring these people inside so he could find out why they had a grudge against him and how to make it up to them. He might as well start with the one that had just fainted.

Gently picking the rat-ninja up, Ranma carried her inside and placed her on the living room couch.

Still not seeing any sign of the other residents, Ranma went to the bathroom and soaked a washcloth before wringing it out, leaving it only moist, then returned to the living room and placed the neatly folded cloth on her forehead, removing the mask she wore.

When Ranma returned to the yard to pick up the next attacker, he found the yard entirely empty of everything but the destruction the fight had caused.

Craters littered the grass. There was a hole through a tree and the fence where two Force Bolts had struck. There was another hole in the corner of the roof, which had also taken out a corner of the house from a third Force Bolt. There were tiny divots where the volleys of shuriken had impaled the ground, and a long gouge where the silver sword had slashed through. There was an indentation of a man's torso in the ground where the mage had been taken down. Across the yard from that were scorch marks where the Fire Ball had struck and where the two burn victims had tried to put themselves out.

"Somehow, I just know I'll be blamed for this …" sighed Ranma. "They could have at least cleaned up after themselves when they left … it's bad manners leaving the host to clean up others' mess …" it struck him how Kasumi must have felt when his fights caused such a mess back in Nerima. He would have to apologise to her when they next met.

* * *

Nabiki was very pleased.

She had done it! She had managed to _convince_ Kashima Iwo to turn over the responsibility of Ranma's finances and deals to her.

Sure, she had to resort to threatening him with letting the public know of his … indiscretions, but she had done it.

She did not know, nor did she want to know, how he had managed to get that female Science Club member to agree to play "slave" with him, nor did she care that he pretended he didn't recognise her outside their "dungeon", the "equipment" used was the important deal, but what it was used for or whom it was used on, she did not want to know, and Iwo apparently didn't want to let the world know either … those images had been very disturbing to sort through, and Iwo had hurriedly agreed to hand her what she wanted as long as he got every copy and the originals for those images.

As Ranma's manager and accountant, she was only entitled to a certain percentage, which was very flattering in amount … it was a lucrative deal, but not as lucrative as she wanted it to be. It was just too bad that she had to get the signature of Ranma to get the percentage changed. She couldn't forge the signature, because then people would start asking questions about his whereabouts, and she would easily get arrested for fraud and embezzlement.

It didn't really matter. If Ranma did show up, Nabiki was certain she could _persuade_ him into signing the required forms for her increased pay, or even marry him and divorce him then fleece him for over half his money and future money. If he didn't return, the business and money would be handed over to Auntie and Ranma's manager. It was a win-win situation.

Now, if she could only figure out why Auntie had been walking about with her head in the clouds since yesterday.

"Note to self," she spoke into a portable tape recorder. "Count the Happy-Pills when I get home. If they are coming out short, hide the rest … Auntie should not be this deliriously happy when her son is dead, even if she is getting all his money in an account she can access."

* * *

-Atchoo!-

Tatewaki Kuno was not a happy kendoist.

Yesterday, the recently employed sensei of the Kendo Club had not made an appearance, calling and saying that she had missed the train due to a family crisis. Since Sensei Koki could not make it, the great Blue Thunder had taken it upon himself to better his fellow students by broadening their minds and basking in his greatness. Those that objected to his suggestion had quickly been subdued by his great sword, though he still lacked some power for his sword after he had gotten healed by the best in the business … the broken bones had been the worst to heal, and actually still stung a little when he put strain on this body. The police commissioner of the ward had been heavily bribed to get him away from their scrutiny, so there was no need for him to worry about any punishment for disposing of the foul sorcerer Saotome.

Today, when the sensei arrived and heard of his supreme leadership, she had not been pleased, but for what reason Tatewaki could not fathom. The mutinous members of the Club had been excused, and his loyal fellow students had been taken to the football field, or soccer field according to the Americans, while wearing weighted clothing. She had them move the great metal goals to the middle of the field, and instructed them to strike the poles five hundred times single-handed with each hand.

As Sensei Koki left the field, she waved at someone, and from the very earth, rain started pouring in great streams that collided with each other above the seven still in the field.

Tatewaki was greatly honoured that Sensei Koki saw him and his fellow students were advanced enough to go through such endurance training, and attacked the pole with great enthusiasm. Even when he at the three hundredth strike started to bleed from his tight grip, he carried on. As they went through this exorcise, the Blue Thunder made sure to call out poetic encouragements to his fellows to keep their spirits up and do honour by their sensei through the completion of this task. He would show those doctors that his nobility and strength were enough to overcome this illness they had claimed he had in addition to his mending bones. Whatever Sterility was, he was certain he would overcome it. The cold and damp clothes did not bother him, he was of noble blood.

-Atchooo!-

Which brought his thoughts back to his present.

He had not been strong enough. Sure, he had done the five hundred strikes for each hand with ease, but his health had not lasted that long, and his nose was starting to get sore from the constant wiping of it.

Surely, nobility like him deserved to be above such common illnesses as a sniffle.

"Ah," groaned the Blue Thunder, walking into the kitchen. "It appears my twisted sister has been kind enough to set out some warm herbal tea to help remedy my ailment."

* * *

Author's Notes; Another chapter reread … most changes were merely cosmetic, such as correcting a few words, rearranging another few, and adding forgotten ones. The biggest change, however, was adding an explanation for how Kuno recovered from his broken body, and escaped prison … they may not be believable explanations, but if anyone out there can think of better ones, please share them with me. 


	13. Chapter 13

(Re-Posted January 11th 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

"Assassin!"

There was no more warning before several hundred _muscled_ pounds of angry werecheetah lunged from the door to the living room and at the unconscious shape on the couch.

Ranma, however, was not about to have his only patient molested even by one of his hosts and managed to restrain Britanny. There were gouges in the ground where he had to use his claws to increase friction to match the strong woman in opposition.

"She is _defenceless_!" he growled, siphoning some chi from his surroundings to restore his ki supplies while he expended some ki in increasing his strength. "I will not allow harm to come to her in this state, even if you _throw me out_ because of it! If you have issues with her, I will allow you to speak with her when she recovers, _no sooner_ and _no violence_!"

If anyone from Nerima had heard him say this, they would have fainted from shock. The old Ranma was under the clear conviction that there was nothing that couldn't be solved with a strike or a kick, or at least it was what he was raised to believe. He had later learned otherwise, but hadn't really gotten a chance to apply this new discovery before being banished.

Britanny calmed down a little, and allowed Ranma to move her to a comfy chair opposite the sofa. She was still keeping an eye on the unconscious rat-woman, though.

"Now," started Ranma sternly. "Would you please tell me, and know that you are not under any pressure to speak, what is your problem with this woman?"

Britanny gave the unconscious woman one last glare before taking a deep, cleansing breath, which calmed her down some.

"Let me just say that I have three perfectly good reasons for hating _wererats_," she started, stressing the word of the lycanthropy species. "Firstly, and the most serious of them all, werecheetah and werewolves have been at war since before the time when the magical races moved to Jade. In fact, our races were left behind until we could settle our differences.

"Not long after I was born, the werewolves sent an offer of peace to our clan. The only reason it was even considered genuine, was because of the serious draught on the plains that made wildlife and water scarce. The clan hired a plane, and flew to meet the werewolves. Along the way, near the coast, the plane crashed somehow, and many of us died. These were shark infested waters, so more died while swimming for shore.

"When some of our clan came to shore, they found that the werewolves had arrived, and were starting to lend a hand, saving some of us.

"There was a banquet a few nights before the time when a ceremony was to be performed, a ceremony that would move us all, werecheetah and werewolves together, to Jade. On the night we were to leave, there was a raid, over half the remaining werecheetah were wiped out. We retaliated and it was a bloody battle. I am all that is left of the werecheetah clan. I hated the werewolves from the moment I heard they had done this …"

"Er …" interrupted Ranma cautiously. "This doesn't explain why you hate the wererats, does it?"

"The entire thing was arranged by one of the wererat leaders; _Gothwrain_," spat Britanny. "He gave the werewolf leader a magic tome full of spells. It was those spells that brought a draught to the plains, brought the airplane down, drew the sharks out, and slaughtered half the werecheetah that survived it. The price was to sell his own clan into slavery for the wererats. He sold them for _power_.

"The second reason is by far the worst, personally, of my three reasons," growled Britanny. The wererat twitched in her unconscious state. "This one, along with two others, broke into my room and put a collar on me!"

Ranma blinked. Putting on a collar was the worst?

"Er …" interrupted Ranma again. "Wouldn't the near annihilation of your species be the worst?"

"Of course, it was bad, and it robbed me of my birth parents, but without those circumstances, I wouldn't have been on the many adventures I have been on, and I wouldn't have met Stryyp, my muffin'," rationalised Britanny. "What was so bad about the collar was this jingling bell on it, and it couldn't be removed! Not by my strength and not even with Gina's lethal weapons."

"It isn't a weapon," interrupted Gina. "It is a tool, but you wouldn't want to squirm in it because it could have some rather unpleasant results."

"Yes, a weapon," agreed Britanny. "I nearly got the nickname Jingles! Only Dad managed to get it off, and he lost all the flesh and skin on his hand and forearm when he did … it grew back again, but it was still scary to witness."

"And the third reason?" asked Ranma.

"Her male companion, also a wererat, keeps groping me when he gets near me!" exclaimed Britanny.

This time, her tone had a strange effect. The wererat changed form to human, and curled into a protective, quivering ball.

"Uhkay," said Gina slowly.

"You scared her," deducted Ranma. There was a slight protective irritation in his voice.

"Didn't mean to," grumbled the calming and lightly ashamed werecheetah.

"Now, Ranma," said Gina. "Could you please explain why Beebee came rushing into the lab, screaming about attacks and started nudging me along the corridors until I walked on my own? Am I to assume this wererat is part of the explanation?"

"Okay," sighed Ranma and slumped onto the floor into a lotus position. "I was outside, meditating on some techniques I saw on Jade when I was attacked.

"One group was composed of three of these guys," at this, Ranma gestured to the unconscious wererat, who had started easing out of the ball. "Only one was a guy and the other seemed to have too big … er … _endowments_," it was always difficult speaking to others about those kinds of body parts … he never knew how people would react to certain words. Judging from the reactions of the two women and one bit bomb it appeared that he could have used a stronger word. "The other group was this bald chick, who also seemed a bit top-heavy, this bald, black mage with glasses, and this ninja guy with a silver sword.

"I didn't have much choice but to defend myself," concluded Ranma. "This one was the last one standing, before she fainted when I saved her from being chopped in two by the silver sword, so I started taking her in, figuring I could ask them all why they attacked me. When I got back outside for the next one, the rest had vanished."

"WERE YOU HURT?" asked a frantic Beebee, having forgotten that she was there for most of it. She may have been derailed for a while, what with the commotion that suddenly occurred, but she was now right back in her frantic mode, having heard about the end of the fight.

Ranma was about to answer in the negative when he found the bit bomb zipping around him, poking and prodding to find anything.

After a few moments, during which Ranma exchanged a confused glance with Gina, Beebee was satisfied that Ranma was not injured.

"Wait, hold on a moment here!" exclaimed Britanny, causing the wererat to curl up again. "Those guys used _silver_ this time? Are they nuts?"

"Why?" asked Ranma, surprising the woman. "That stuff never hurt me … though not for lack of trying on my opponents' part …"

Gina looked like she was contemplating running some experiments with him as the subjects, while Britanny looked downright shocked.

"WHAT?" she demanded loudly.

"Geez!" cringed Ranma, rubbing his ears. "Not so loud! My hearing is still much better than in my human forms!"

Not catching the plural reference, Britanny continued to rant and rave for a few minutes about how impossible it was for a werecreature not to have serious reactions to silver. From what Ranma could gather, he was supposed to feel a burning on his very soul at the mere touch of the stuff … odd, he'd been in plenty of contact with silver since his transformation and the only reaction he had so far was bleeding when he was cut.

"OW!" he yelled when the werecheetah bit his shoulder. "What'd you do that for?"

Britanny didn't listen, but instead stared intently at the wound, which was closing itself up with speeds surpassing her own healing ability.

"_What are you_?" asked Britanny in a quivering voice. "Wounds inflicted by other werecreatures take twice the normal speed to heal … when it is compared to a human! And you aren't even affected by silver!"

"Apparently, I'm a weredinictis," replied Ranma evenly, watching as his mage suit closed up the holes torn into it. "One of a kind. Didn't you wonder about my fangs? 'Sides, I haven't been allergic to silver my entire life, why start now?"

Before Britanny could continue her ranting, Gina interrupted her.

"Brit, let it go, his species wasn't made by Iceron, doesn't it stand to reason that he doesn't have the same weaknesses as those he made?"

"But-"

"Has he done anything to warrant our suspicion or disbelief?"

"No, but-"

"Stranger things have happened, sis," added Gina, once more interrupting the werecheetah. "_Time travel_ being only one of them … remember what you did to El Dorado? Hmmm?"

Britanny looked around rapidly, as though looking for any eavesdroppers.

"You promised not to bring that up!" she hissed behind her hand.

"But, is Ranma's condition harder to believe than us having to fight a talking dog for our existence in this time line?" asked Gina, avoiding the hissed declaration.

"I guess not …" sighed Britanny and slumped in posture. "Sorry I bit you …"

"No problem," brushed Ranma off. "I've had fiancées that did worse on a good day … _that_ could almost be considered a love-bite." He added in a chuckle.

Beebee was not amused and glared between the unconscious wererat and the blushing werecheetah. They had better leave her love alone, or she'd make sure to make them pay … she knew she should go boom on the wererat, but Ranma had told her not to … maybe switch the salt and sugar … or short-sheet their beds … or arrange for a leaky roof over their pillow as well as some rain … or maybe running out of water and towels while either of them were in the shower … they would rue the day they tried to steal her love!

Gina, Ranma and Britanny were slightly unnerved as the bit bomb started cackling like a female villain in a spy movie.

After a moment, Beebee realised she was making sound in the real world, and the cackling came to a halt. Her face lit up and she hid herself behind Ranma in embarrassment.

"How about some lunch?" suggested Ranma, trying to change the subject, and the attention from the blushing Beebee.

"Great! I'll make some tuna sandwiches!" declared Britanny. In one fell leap, she cleared the room from her chair and was out the door, headed for the kitchen.

"Beebee, could you watch our patient, please?" asked Ranma kindly. Behind him, he heard the bit bomb agree. "Thank you." With that, Ranma got up and started out the room at a calmer pace than Britanny had. "So, Gina, do you know anything about filing a patent?"

* * *

Across town, in Lord Talon's lair, which was the basement of his parents' house, a bruised and scorched Zelda was stumbling into the lab. Her skin-tight clothing was barely hanging on, threatening to snap at any given moment and give anyone near her a free show of the goods.

She had returned to her senses just in time to see the werecat carry one of the ninja girls into the house. Fearing what damage he could do if he returned, Zelda picked up her fallen comrades and took off.

So, with a frozen and burned Daishi on her back, and a bruised Ionis pulled by the scruff of his neck, Zelda entered the lab, making sure to make an unnecessary turn that caused Ionis' head to smash into the door. It was a small payback for incinerating her, agreed … but many more were being made up as she travelled the city.

"How went the mission?" asked a snotty voice from the microscopes. Leaning over them with his glasses in his hair was Lord Peewee Talon, the ten year old super genius of genetics and similar subjects.

Zelda dropped her burdens and snapped into a pained salute.

"It was a _partial_ success, Lord Talon!" she declared proudly. She had wanted to call him Peewee, but she was in too much pain to insult the boy who now had the power to make all the booboos go away.

One hand dug into a pocket on the inside of her outfit, and it soon came out with a dark bundle of hair.

She had found it not far from where Ionis was, and where she had picked up the Daishi-cube.

"Excellent!" exclaimed Lord Talon happily and snatched the hair. "You may put your fellows and yourself in the cell regenerators now."

"Thank you, Lord Talon!"

* * *

-Click!-

Romeo was happy, terrified and miffed.

-Click!-

He was miffed, because upon escaping with Moisha he discovered that he had fallen on one of his own shuriken and sheared off a sizable chunk of hair. He resigned himself to wearing a hat until it grew back. Terrified, because the werecat seemed to not only be an adversary more challenging than the werecheetah, he also seemed to have the power to make female wererats fall for him, leaving them open for the killing. He knew that this power existed because of Lydia's display of lust before the attack, and because all the way to this sleazy motel, Moisha had been moaning about the werecat being so strong, and _big_. He also discovered that Lydia had been taken prisoner by the werecat, which meant that not only would Gothwrain be furious with them for being discovered, but Lydia would be pissed at him for leaving her behind to be tortured for information. Though, with the power of seduction the werecat seemed to have, she was probably giving away information on her own to gain his favour. Oh, what fiendish plots that werecat must have to want all that information!

-Click!-

Now, the reason he was happy, was that he was currently taking advantage of Moisha being deeply unconscious, and taking incriminating photos of her for posterity. The five rolls of film would be developed by himself, as he didn't trust anyone else not to steal them with such good quality and subject.

-Click!-

"Hmmm …" hummed Romeo. "I need to move her again … she seemed to have gotten a rough landing on her bottom, it probably needs air to heal right … up it goes!"

-Click!-

It should be against the law to be this deliriously happy, though the reason for his happiness would more than likely get him arrested for some reason or another. But then, what Moisha would do to him if she found out about it would have to be more than enough punishment.

-Click!-

"_Yes_! Work with me, babe!"

* * *

As the discussion about patents died down, and Britanny was putting the finishing touches on lunch, the phone rang.

Ranma, being the closest one to it, reached out for it.

"Moshi-moshi, Diggers residence, how may I help you?" he recited as kindly as he could without sounding cheerful.

" Huh? Who is this? " asked a man on the other end.

"I'm Ranma," replied Ranma casually.

Almost as soon as he had said it, there was a discharge of energy in the room, right behind Ranma.

Ranma turned around and came face-to-face with a man with a flaming skull, staring right at him.

"Gah!" he squawked in surprise. This was a better method of intimidation than Soun's Demon Head technique.

"Dad!" cried Gina. "Stop scaring our guest!"

The burning skull gave Ranma a last glare before reverting to a man's head, greying hair and goatee. The man had a distinguished look about him. Ranma made sure to memorise the technique he used before its energy patterns faded completely away.

"My apologies," sighed the man. "Hello, I am Dr Theodore Diggers, my wife spoke kindly of you, I am the father of these three … er, Gina, where is your sister?"

"Tinkering on something in her lab," answered Gina in a yawn.

"What's up, dad?" asked Britanny, setting the tuna sandwiches on three plates, one being stacked in the principle of thirds … for every third the other two got, that plate got one whole, and so forth. Guess which plate was for her …

Dr Diggers released the hand Ranma had accepted in greeting and cleared his throat.

"A short while ago, I sensed some magical discharge in the area," he started seriously. "I sought out my apprentice, or rather my former apprentice after he changed to being a War Mage, and discovered that he had not been the one using it. This leads me to think there has occurred something _here_."

Ranma was fascinated with this conversation. They were talking about magic … he was interested in learning more about magic after hearing about it, but hadn't figured out whom to approach about learning it. Now, if he could only find more techniques …

"Well," said Gina, slightly hesitant. "Ranma was attacked in the yard, one of them was a mage under the employ of the shrimp, Peewee."

"Heh, those weenies didn't last a full minute!" scoffed Ranma. "Even with those three wererats fighting at the same time …"

"Speaking of which," interrupted Gina. "Is there a possibility of a lycanthrope becoming immune to silver? Or was that just a weakness of Iceron's spells?" she already knew the answer, but it was always nice to have someone more familiar with the field she was theorising about to confirm it for her.

"As far as I know, there was never made any lycanthrope by any other than Iceron," replied Dr Diggers slowly. "But, theoretically speaking, I would have to say that the weaknesses of his creations would not necessarily apply to others. What brought this on?"

"Me," replied Ranma cheerfully. "I'm a unique werecat, a weredinictis to be precise."

"Dinictis … where have I heard that name before …" mused Dr Diggers. "The ancestor to the housecat?"

"Yup," agreed Gina. "Let's just go over the story again … Ranma, feel free to jump in if I'm leaving anything out."

"Er … do I have to?" asked Ranma, realising that this meant he'd have to show his female side as well.

"Yes."

Raising his eyes to the ceiling, Ranma silently asked whatever deity was controlling his life why it always had to throw in so many problems.

* * *

"He's what?"

Nabiki couldn't believe what she had just heard. That poor woman had really started to get delusional, and she was dragging her sister down with her. They both seemed to believe that Ranma was fine and would call this evening sometime, which was the reason they refused to let her use the phone and why they were sitting very close to it.

"Ranma is going to call," repeated Kasumi fondly. Her sister really had a difficult time believing anything she didn't have any evidence of, such as this. She really should have a broader imagination where Ranma was concerned. He always had a way of surprising everyone in the most spectacular way. Rising from the dead was not such a great leap.

Nabiki shook her head. This was going too far.

" Uh …Hi, mom! I just called to say I'm fine … sort of … I'm currently in America, Atlanta, Georgia to be more precise. You can reach me at the number for Gina Diggers if you need to, just remember the fourteen hour time difference … Um, bye! "

"Oh my, I accidentally pressed the button," said Kasumi, removing her delicate finger from the answering machine.

Accidental my foot!

This changed everything. Nabiki's eyes widened and she could not help herself from replaying the message a few more times to authenticate the voice. It was Ranma!

Oh, this meant she would have to get married to him if she wanted more of the money and was unable to fall back on _convincing_ him. Maybe she could have Auntie arrange them to be wed in the manner uncle Genma did, on family honour …

"And he has been very manly while away!" added Nodoka happily. "I called right back and was answered by a woman named Beebee, who confessed to loving him! Oh, I'll have grandbabies yet!"

Uh oh, competition! This makes it harder … maybe I should take a _vacation_, do some damage control over there, convince Ranma to marry me instead of this gaijin woman. Better to give all your money to the con artist you know than some stranger, right? She was certain she could get Ranma to see things her way. If he didn't, she'd make sure he did.

* * *

In Nerima, Soun Tendo was standing on the bridge over the canal running through the district. He was contemplating his life as it currently was.

His best and only friend's son had died, making the task of joining the schools impossible for the next couple of decades at best, if Genma got to the task of making another heir immediately.

His daughters had left him.

His best friend was in prison, which made the production of another heir pretty much impossible.

He had no money or food.

The only thing he did have, apart from his health, was the property and house, and both were damaged to the point where it would take a small fortune to repair it all. A small fortune which he did not have. Because he had been harbouring a wanted felon, Genma, his honour was now in question in the City council, and he was no longer a member of it because of it. No student was asking tutelage now that Ranma was gone and no longer drawing in eager martial artists.

"I have no reason to live," concluded Soun. "Perhaps it would be for the best if I at least could give my daughters what little life insurance I have …"

With that, he picked up the large rock he had selected from the edge of his koi pond, and made sure the rope tied to his person was secured to it.

With a noble step, he climbed the edge where the fence had fallen off, and jumped.

This was a very popular method of suicide in cities that had deep and raging rivers running through them, and was always effective.

-Splash!-

That is, it was always effective if the depth of the water was higher than to the waist.

Confused, Soun looked around, seeing the water only reaching his neck as he was sitting.

"I always thought it was deeper than this …" he muttered in disappointment. "Yet _another_ thing I've failed at!"

"Mr Tendo!" called a youthful voice from above. For a moment, Soun thought he was being greeted by an angel, and looked up. There he saw Ms Hinako in child form. "Get out of that water, Mr Tendo, you'll catch a cold!"

Such caring … maybe he wasn't as alone as he thought …

* * *

In Hokkaido, Ukyo finally flipped the sign of her restaurant, signalling it as open. It had taken a while to get things together, but with the help of her two cross-dressing assistants, Konatsu and Tsubasa, it was now complete.

_Ucchans_ was bigger than ever, nearly three times the size it was in Nerima. Of course, most of it was the customer area, but she could now allow herself a bigger storage room. The two cross-dressers would of course have nothing to do with the actual running of the place, as they had a lousy business sense, they could be the waiters, or even dish washers, if there was ever need for any dishes to be washed.

Mostly, Okonomiyaki was served rolled up like a giant, edible cigar, so the only thing they would need plenty of was napkins. The occasional prude would of course use utensils, they were mostly gaijins, though. Why every gaijin she met were so afraid of getting their hands dirty, she never knew …

-Ding!-

Ukyo turned to greet the first customer of this restaurant, but was immediately silenced when her face was pressed into the shoulder of a certain long-haired male Amazon in large, white robes.

"My love!" he cried.

Is that spices I smell? Thought Ukyo. Why do I suddenly feel warm all over?

"Oh, Mousse …" she moaned huskily and suddenly returned the embrace with equal fervour.

* * *

Speaking of Amazons. On Jade, the hunting party of Amazons were negotiating for a teleportation.

"We _will not_ pay twenty gold for a _simple teleportation spell_!" growled Cologne.

"That's the going rates," gloated the female mage and polished her fingernails on her mage suit. "Maybe you should take your business elsewhere if you aren't satisfied with my offer …"

"Why you …"

"Of course," interrupted the mage. "I _could_ raise my price … and for your information the prices _you_ quote are for teleportation _within_ the Realm. _Out_ of the Realm is a whole other league of magical skill and therefore the price goes up … but you don't have to take my word for it …"

Cologne looked like she would strike the mage over the head for her cheek. A hand on her shoulder restrained her.

"The offer is more than generous," interrupted the Jade leader of the Amazon party. "We will accept it."

"Good!" chirped the mage. "Where on Earth would you like to be sent? Remember, the more specific you are, the more value you get out of your money!"

"Unfortunately, the only thing we know is that the nearest mage is the husband of the disgraced former Arms-Master, Archmage Diggers, in the Americas," answered the leader.

"Oh, Theodore, he lives along the … East coast, I believe he called it … The province of Georgia," chirped the mage in.

"Then that is where we will go!" snapped Cologne.

* * *

Ranma was embarrassed as she found herself the subject of scrutiny.

After hearing the story about his life and how he came to be here, Britanny had done the same as Gina had, and was just as disappointed when the change did not come with water. Ranma had shifted from one gender to the other just like a lycanthrope would shift forms, and was soon finding her appendages lifted, prodded, pinched, pulled and poked.

"Ow!" hissed Ranma. "Stop pullin' on that! They're _real_, and they ain't gonna be less real if you keep _pinchin' _an' _pullin' _on 'em!!"

It should be noted that though Ranma's speech has improved vastly from earlier years, in certain stressful situations, Ranma tends to fall back on that pattern of speech.

"This certainly is interesting …" commented Dr Diggers. "You were a former victim of Jusenkyo, you say?"

"You know of it?" asked Gina, curious about why she had never been told about it before.

"It is indeed a cursed place, and I would not allow my family near it," confirmed Dr Diggers. "It was created by an unknown Mage, who was trying to mimic the transformative powers Iceron had, but it was a failure, the change was not complete as warm and cold water changed the forms and it was hardly ever permanent without outside assistance. It is a good thing you never took a dive into the Spring of Drowned Man after getting your first curse, or they would most certainly have mixed."

Ranma was shocked to have her personal theory confirmed. After all, Taro was a great example of her theory, as he added water from the Spring of Drowned Octopus to his own cursed form, adding tentacles to it along with the instinct to seek shelter in enclosed spaces, "You mean …"

"Yes, you would have ended up permanently looking like a man, with the equipment of a woman, or the other way around, or even both equipments in either a male or female body," agreed Dr Diggers. "A hermaphrodite."

Ranma shivered at the idea of turning into that kind of thing. Sure, she had stumbled over a great deal of hentai dojinshi that were about those types of characters, and they seemed to have a great deal of fun, but she could never imagine taking part in those kinds of things. After all, sex was something married people did as a chore and to have babies, why would she do it while a girl and with a penis? The idea of mortifying Happosai with that extra equipment sounded hilarious, but the fun of it would most certainly wear off at the first accusation of being a freak or pervert. She would have to stop thinking about those now, she was starting to feel warm in those places she didn't feel comfortable having warm and tingly sensations in …

"I'll just change back now," she said, avoiding a shudder at the sensations. It would not do to show weakness.

One shift of genders later, and Ranma found himself back in his male hybrid form, which was the form he was the most comfortable in.

"Hey!" he suddenly exclaimed as a hand came out of nowhere. "Don't touch those!"

Wasn't it bad enough that that she touched him when he was in female form, did she have to grope his privates in male form as well? All it did was make his genitalia uncomfortably stiff.

"Yes, Brit," sniggered Gina. "The _virgin_ doesn't like physical contact … although, I'd be more than happy to remedy his condition …" had she had an ounce of feline in her, the woman would be purring at the ideas running through her head, most of them revolving around making Ranma more comfortable with sexual contact.

"He's a virgin?" asked Britanny incredulously. "According to what he said, he seemed to have half the female population of Jade after him, and he's a virgin? How?"

"Through very strenuous efforts of myself and my uncute fiancée, whom I do not intend to marry," answered Ranma. "And I usually ended up getting hit whenever I approached anyone female. It could have been a Pavlovian aversion therapy … sexual advances or interests in females equals pain. And pops raised me to find girls weak and a distraction from the Art. Of course, I've long since discarded his theories …"

There was a moment of silence in the kitchen as the group took the time to digest this information.

"When I get my hands on those b#&es, they will learn what a true genius can do!" growled Gina after nearly a minute of silence. Britanny seemed equally miffed, if her cracking knuckles were anything to go by.

"And I believe a chat with Mr Saotome would be in order," added Dr Diggers, slipping into his flaming skull in his anger. It was almost comic to see a burning skull smoking a pipe … almost …

Carefully, Ranma studied the flow of energies needed to feed this technique, and decided to try copying it himself.

-Fwoosh!-

Ranma nearly panicked as he felt fire enveloping his head, but he made sure to stay calm. Saffron had not been calm, and he nearly lost control of his powers, he didn't want to lose control when the fire was surrounding his head.

"If anyone will have a _talk_ with that fat panda, it will be me!" he growled. For some reason, his voice was distorted to sound more demonic while he was in this technique, but he assumed it was part of the effect.

Apparently, the effect was more terrifying than he had originally thought.

All three were shocked.

Gina had plopped into her seat and was staring at him with wide eyes.

Britanny had wide eyes as well, and half of her half-eaten sandwich fell out now that she was not aware of the pressure she was putting on the food with her hands.

The fire around Dr Diggers' skull went out, leaving a normal man's head staring at him.

"This is certainly _surprising_," stated the aging man.

* * *

Author's Notes; As written in my bio, I tend to get side-tracked now and again. Just as I was writing, I came up with this alternate version to the "Harry Potter is the Lord of Azkaban" plot line, and had to write down the idea before I forgot it. Don't worry, I don't plan on starting the actual story of that idea before I'm done here … just jotting down ideas I can add to the story plot.

Translation; "Moshi-moshi" according to Langenscheidt Pocket Japanese Dictionary, this phrase means "Hello" and is only used for telephone greeting. "Gaijin", according to the same source, means "Foreigner." "Hentai Dojinshi" is from what I can gather the term for dirty comic books based on either fictional characters or famous ones, drawn by fans of the comic book genre, where in there is never a plot that does not involve sex or nudity in some way, willing or not, and often takes up the issue of any taboo.


	14. Chapter 14

(Re-Posted January 11th 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

In the living room of the Diggers girls' home, Lydia McKraken was slowly regaining consciousness.

For a moment, she was very confused about where she was … she could not remember going to sleep either …

"What the f#& happened to me?" muttered the human wererat as she sat up, only to hear and feel a moist plop in her lap. Looking down, she saw a moist washcloth, it had apparently been resting on her forehead, but was now soaking through her ninja outfit.

"Mind your language!" Lydia heard a woman say, and looked around in a panic to find the source. "Down here!" the voice added, causing Lydia to look down to see what she had learned was a bit bomb, a Peebo, an explosive device made by the younger sister of the werecheetah she had tagged with a collar not even a month ago. Luckily, those things hadn't seen her at that time, so they wouldn't recognise her as one of the intruders from then.

Frantically, Lydia managed to find the small monitor for the tracking device the collar was, and switched it on.

" The person you are trying to find, is no longer with our service, please try again at a later time! " announced a cool female voice.

"What the f#&?"

"Stop swearing!" yelled the bit bomb. "Ranma doesn't like people swearing! It's not nice!"

Lydia was about to make a colourful retort when she realised that she was arguing with a sentient _bomb_ and that there may be serious consequences to ticking it off. Wisely, she kept her mouth shut and decided to watch her language in the presence of this thing.

It took her a moment to realise that if she was in the Diggers house, then she was in the presence of the werecheetah, which would explain why she was in human form … the monster must have stared at her!

It was not safe to remain, so she decided to leave.

Carefully, Lydia made her way to the door leading to the yard, making sure not to make any aggressive moves in front of the bomb, lest it go off.

When she turned her back to open the door, she was stopped by a strong hand on her shoulder.

"You shouldn't be leaving yet," said a stern male voice. "Not until we know that you are fine."

There was a tone of finality to the voice, and Lydia felt herself being turned to face the owner of the black-furred hand.

Ranma was worried.

His patient had woken up, he had felt the change in her ki-lines all the way to the kitchen and come to see her. When he saw her up and about, he decided to make himself known and told her how things stood.

When he turned her around, he could feel the fear rolling off her in waves, not unlike he knew he must have given off when he was still affected by the Neko Ken and faced with a cat.

Lydia was terrified, yet, she was also strangely excited.

Their faces were mere inches apart, and the wererat in human form could not help herself.

Ranma was most surprised when the woman suddenly lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, which was a very awkward way of strangling someone, he thought, then suddenly she had stuffed her tongue down his throat in a searing kiss.

He was panicking, even more so when the right leg of the woman wrapped itself around his left, and she shifted to hybrid form, adding her tail to wrap herself around him, never breaking the kiss.

Ranma was sweating bullets, he just knew he would be punished in a grand way from what was going on right now.

Ranma's panic increased significantly when he felt the three Diggers follow him from the kitchen, and walked in on him being kissed by this woman.

"What's going on here?" demanded Britanny and Beebee at the same time.

This caused Ranma to disappear from the grasp of the wererat and reappear curled into a ball in a corner of the room.

Lydia, who was very surprised to find herself French-kissing the air and with her centre of balance about a foot from her body, could no longer support herself and fell face first into the floor, absently noting that there were claw marks in the ground not far from where her face would add to the marks on the floor. Where did those come from?

"What is it with wererats and sexual advances on werecats?" demanded Britanny. First that perverted male goosing her and feeling her up, now this one was mauling Ranma … maybe it is a flaw the species had, like the werecheetah craving for tuna. Mmm … tuna …

Lydia looked at the events from her vantage point of the floor and couldn't help but make a comment. "I think I broke him …"

* * *

In Brianna's lab, Brianna restrained herself from making use of her mad scientist special effects and screaming out "It's alive!", and stiffened.

"My hunky-senses are tingling!" she breathed. Somewhere nearby, there was a distressed hunk in need of her Tender Loving Care. Brianna's libido agreed that it was for the best to find and comfort this hunk, and her intellect chipped in that they better get a move on before Gina's libido convinced her to do it first!

* * *

Beebee had decided to approach the shivering Ranma, but before she could get there, her creator appeared as if from thin air and wrapped herself around Ranma, cooing that she would make it all better.

For a moment, this seemed to be calming the man down, until Brianna goosed him.

Ranma disappeared again, and reappeared in the opposing corner of the room, clinging to the ceiling with his fingers and toes, making deep gouges.

Gina, now remembering the story she had been told about his life nearly slapped herself for not remembering sooner.

"Everyone, just stay calm," she said, trying not to sound frightening. "Ranma, please come down, none of us is going to hurt you."

"But – but, I was kissed!" insisted Ranma, closing his eyes against the expected blow.

"I know you were, but it wasn't your fault," countered Gina carefully. "You're not with your fiancées, we will not hurt you because of the actions of someone else. Please come down."

"Nu-uh, don' wanna!"

"Ranma," said Gina warningly. "If you don't come down, the other Peebo in the house could think you a bad person for making holes in our ceiling and walls, please come down before they blow you up."

Brianna perked up.

"Speaking of Peebo," started the trigger-happy woman. "Yoink!"

In a swift move, Brianna snagged Beebee from the ground and ran off.

"Don't worry, Ranma!" she called as she progressed down the hall. "You'll get her back in better condition than before!"

In Ranma's confusion at Brianna's behaviour, his claws retracted and he fell gracefully to the ground.

"What does Brianna need Beebee for?" he asked curiously. This would be one of the few times he was out of the presence of the infatuated bit bomb since he got here, and it was starting to get uncomfortable … as though an item of clothing had been removed.

"In my experience, it is best not to ask," replied Dr Diggers as he also followed his retreating daughter.

"Maybe you're right," conceded Ranma. "I'm just glad she stayed away from me for a few days … I don't like intimate contact … makes me feel weird …"

"Women tend to have that effect on men," said Dr Diggers carefully, eyeing the two women left that were staring at Ranma in barely disguised affection. Perhaps it was best to change the topic of conversation before either of them said anything that would offend females everywhere. "Tell me, Ranma, where did you learn magic?"

"What magic?" asked Ranma. "I only know science and Martial Arts, though learning new techniques like your flaming skull technique is always very amusing …"

Considering things carefully, Dr Diggers looked at Ranma intently. Apparently, the lad was a natural with aura magic, provided he wasn't told what it really was … perhaps he should just play along …

"How would you like to learn some more … _techniques_ from me?" he finally asked. He stressed the word Ranma had used, thereby waking associations in the man's mind to what he might learn. "I know many of them and would be happy to teach them to you, now that my student has given up on my teachings."

"That would be _great_!" exclaimed Ranma, forgetting all about the earlier incident. The prospect of learning new techniques tended to make him forget unpleasant incidents, no matter how recent.

"My home is about two miles down the street, my daughters can give more specific directions if you need them," said Dr Diggers. "Be there at eight, and we can start."

"Oh," sighed Ranma. "I need to call my mother tonight so it may be late … could we make it nine instead?"

"This once, perhaps," agreed Dr Diggers. "Provided we don't repeat it until I've nothing more to teach you … or until my wayward apprentice returns to his studies … in which case, I will try and convince one of my fellow … _Masters_ to take over your training … and the final exception will be if my wife starts getting _enthusiastic_ again … for the past few days, she has been somewhat sombre …"

Britanny rolled her eyes and left the room. Hearing this conversation was incentive to leave, and smelling the scent of arousal her still present sister and the wererat were giving off had made her aroused as well, so she wanted her itch scratched now, and so she was off to find her hubby … her Kryn Prince of Nookies. Purrrr.

"Dr Diggers, sir," started Ranma, nervously looking at the two star-struck women. "Would you have any idea why I have this effect on women?" he nodded his head at the two women, who looked about ready to start drooling, eyes fixed on the base of his tail. It appeared they had forgotten the commotion that had taken place.

"If I were to venture a guess, I would say you have a very concentrated pheromone level," ventured Dr Diggers. "Not every single woman you meet will be instantly attracted to you … only ones with heterosexual leanings, those not already in a committed relationship, like marriage, long term dating or engagement … of course, I'm only guessing, but I'm sure Gina would be able to do some readings with her medical equipment …"

Ranma looked at Gina and noted that she and the wererat had started blushing … a sign that they had started to go through the daydream stage.

"I don't think I'd trust her to be alone with me at the moment …" he commented. Who knows what would happen to him if he did.

"Understood," agreed Dr Diggers, sighing sadly. That girl took after her mother … which was the only reason he wasn't trying to tear the man before him apart to prevent his daughter from being further tainted by him.

At least a fellow Mage was better boyfriend material for his precious daughter than some flashy playboy treasure hunter who copied all his fighting from others instead of inventing it and training for it.

"I'm sure she'd behave in her examination of you if there was someone else present," offered Dr Diggers.

"Maybe Dao will be the witness …" mused Ranma. "He's always staying in the lab, conducting experiments and keeping track of Gina's projects, I'm sure it wouldn't be any skin off his nose making sure Gina doesn't molest me …"

Taking a moment, Ranma looked over the two blushing and drooling women.

"What will happen to my patient?" he finally asked, remembering that there was a slight situation afoot.

"Lydia McKraken," supplied the wererat, awaking from her trance.

"Right, what will happen to Lydia?" repeated Ranma, looking to Gina for answers.

Gina was shaken from her daydream by the question, and was slightly abashed at having gotten lost for a moment.

"Provided she doesn't cause any trouble," started Gina. "I don't see any reason why she can't stay."

The wererat, now identified as Lydia, squealed in excitement, forgetting completely her mission and whom else resided with these walls. All she really cared about was that her chances of _getting some_ just increased significantly.

Ranma was not as excited, as his chances of getting glomped, molested or pasted to a fine cream for some imaginary offence significantly increased with yet another woman in the house.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Amazon jungle, two people were arguing over a map of Australia.

"We're in the Black Forest of Germany!" insisted Ryoga. He was the travelling expert here, not her. Sure, he may get lost now and again, but he always found his way in the end.

"And I'm telling you, we're in the jungles of India!" argued Akane. Who did he think he was? He was the one who got lost, not her. She had never gotten lost before, and she wasn't about to start now. Not to mention that she was always right, and always the best.

"And I say- squeak –Okay, we're in India!" finished Ryoga quickly, his voice several octaves higher.

"I knew you'd see it my way," replied Akane and released her hold on his family jewels. "Maybe you'll even be allowed into the sleeping bag tonight …" her tone suddenly became much sultrier.

While Ryoga was regaining his posture, he could not help but look forward till nightfall … having your girlfriend, and future wife, with you while travelling made all the difference.

* * *

In a sleazy motel in the outskirts of Atlanta, Romeo managed to throw a bedspread over the nude Moisha before she woke up.

"Like, did you get the, y' know, license number of the truck that, y' know, hit me?" she asked groggily. "What happened to my clothes? Why was I in that position?"

Romeo did his best to sound casual and focused his sight on the flickering image of the poorly installed cable TV.

"You got knocked out during the fight," he answered carefully. "I put you to bed, but you wouldn't stay still, somehow you got out of your clothes and started dreaming about dogs or something …"

Moisha, still not being completely with it groaned in discomfort from her headache and accepted his answer at face value, as she did not have the mental capacity to see through the deceit at the moment.

" Lydia was taken prisoner," added Romeo to divert the purple-haired wererat's attention from how she had woken up. "I saw the werecat carry her off! Who knows what kinds of information he is torturing out of her!"

"But, like, we don't know anything," muttered Moisha, sleepily looking around the motel room for her clothes, the bedspread wrapped about her well endowed body.

"What about the location of Lord Gothwrain?" asked Romeo, stressing the name of their master. "She knows where we usually meet, and from the skill of that werecat, even Zero would be hard pressed to stop him, even with a silver blade. That ninja and that bald lady both had _silver weapons_, and neither could make a scratch on him with them, even with us using magical shuriken and attacking him as distractions …"

"Like, Gothwrain is more skilled in magic than the werecat, he'd, y' know, burn him to death or something before, like, he could do anything …"

"Did you see anything but the guy's butt while we fought?" asked an incredulous Romeo. "There _was_ a _mage_ present at the fight, and even he couldn't hit the guy, even with silver weapons being wielded and our magical shuriken flying at him, he couldn't hit him! He was almost as fast as a werecheetah, and his skills were far better than that monster's! It's almost like he had some sort of "Spider-sense" that warned him of attacks! How can we fight that?"

"But, like, we can't go back home before we, y' know, _off_ the werecat! We'd be killed if we did!" argued Moisha. Whoa, that did not help the headache …

"We can't do this alone!" retorted Romeo. "But first and foremost, we need to rescue Lydia!"

"Like, let's do it!" cheered Moisha. As she cheered, she lost her grip on the bedspread as she jumped, and thus, she flashed her male team mate while she was conscious.

* * *

In Seer's Hamlet, Weapons-Master Karia was not pleased.

The new Arms-Master, G'Nolga, though she got her title through a questionable fight that dishonoured the previous one, was associating with some shady characters.

Karia had brought her concern to the attention of the Sheriff, but was brushed off with the statement that it was none of her concern, nor that of the law, whom the Arms-Master befriended.

Karia had then taken the matter to the Northern Edge Guard, but at the moment they had little more authority than the man who sweeps the gutters because of their failure to locate the numerous kidnapped magic users, and could not help her, though they took note of her concern and told her they would look into the matter as soon as they could … and as soon as they were no longer assigned to the garbage dump by the Sheriff.

Karia had then taken the matter to the town judge, but she had threatened her with arrest for invasion of privacy and stalking if she did not cease her persecution of the Arms-Master. There had been a couple of guards tailing her for the rest of the day, probably on the judge's orders to make sure she did not approach or follow the Arms-Master.

Something fishy was going on, and she was willing to bet a millennium worth of nookie that the Sheriff and judge had some part in it. There was no evidence, and she could not risk accusing them of anything without it, or she'd lose her title or get sent to jail in dishonour. She was certain the inmates of the prison would be more than happy to "entertain" her for the "injustice" some or more authority figures had inflicted on them. She'd be lucky to escape with her life.

The missing magic users were not found, and there were no leads pointing to where they might have been taken. However, upon investigating the surroundings of Seer's Hamlet, she had discovered the cavern the giant golem had come from, and found that the number of carved indentations along the walls in the cave matched the number of missing magic users. There were signs of technology along the middle of the ground, but she was unable to determine what for, apart from waking the golem to life.

But what part did the magic users play in the awakening of the golem, and what had happened to them after?

She'd never get the answers with incompetent or crooked law enforcers about, and she had not enough knowledge in technology to figure out what had happened. And as her magic was limited to elemental battles, there was little she could do about tracking down any guilty parties.

And another thing that bothered her … the dishonoured Arms-Master incident. Arms-Master Julia was not the kind of person to take her responsibilities lightly, but why was she not fighting back against G'Nolga in the challenge for her title? The woman respected tradition enough to not just give up without reason, she knew that much.

What could have made Arms-Master Julia give up the fight to G'Nolga? And why did a gambler throw her a bag of gold, claiming it was payment for throwing the fight? It didn't make sense!

The Weapons-Master watched her students as her mind raced.

She had rebuilt her school a few days ago, and after careful consideration, had started a careful screening process with her students. It would not do to take in criminal students again, as the werecat had pointed out how poorly she could choose when it was discovered that the one she picked to place his skills was in fact a wanted criminal with a curse that had forever turned him into a woman. She had nearly lost her following because of that …

Thinking of the werecat brought a slight smirk to her lips.

He had been one of the very few that could measure up with her skill as far as she dared to remember.

If he indeed had left with the disgraced Arms-Master as witnesses described, then maybe he would return some time … perhaps she could convince him to … _spar_ with her. After all, it had been too long since she had encountered a man who excited her as both woman and warrior.

* * *

At Narita International Airport, a young woman was standing in front of her computer at the Check-in counter. This woman was freshly out of High School, Furinkan to be precise, and she wanted to get away from that crazy area before she became a casualty. At the moment, the only reason she didn't move back, was that it would be a long way to commute every day. She had heard the neighbourhood had really improved in the past week or so.

-Ring!-

The sound of the telephone ringing at intervals of three seconds after putting it down was enough to give anyone a headache, so it was no wonder that she had one now.

" Narita International Airport, Check-in counter, this is Miko Ayame speaking, how may I help you?" she answered as sweetly as she could. The headache was not helping, and neither was this pushy gaijin waiting for her to finish the call.

" Miko, Nabiki here, I need you to set me up with one first class ticket to Atlanta, Georgia in America as soon as the next flight leaves! " answered the hurried voice in the other end.

"I am sorry, Ms Tendo, all our flights for that location has been filled for the next month … if you want to reserve a seat, it will cost-"

" I wonder how much your superiors would enjoy hearing about the large gambling debt you left Furinkan with? " interrupted Nabiki. " It would be a shame to lose confidence, or even your job, on that accusation, hmm? "

"I-I understand, Tendo-san," stuttered Miko. "Oh, look at that, a seat just opened up! The next flight leaves in an hour, the airline is named Delta, the flight number is DL56 at terminal two, gate D94, you may pick up your ticket at my counter within the next half hour, that is the bare minimum I'll be able to get away with, as it is an international flight." This last part was whispered into the phone with her hand covering her mouth, so none of the soon-to-be passengers would hear.

" Excellent! " chirped a smug Nabiki on the other end. " I'll be there shortly, bye! "

Muttering a few remarks about Nabiki's heritage, Miko hung up and had to take a moment to compose herself before facing the ranting gaijin who had been rude enough to try and interrupt her call.

"Yes, how may I help you?"

* * *

Author's Notes; Cosmetic changes were all that were done in the rewrite. 


	15. Chapter 15

(Re-Posted January 11th 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

Jogging down the sidewalk, Ranma contemplated the call he had made to his mother the night before.

Nabiki was in a rush to get her vacation time the moment she had heard he was alive and where he was staying … Ranma didn't consider himself a genius, but even he could draw a pretty accurate conclusion from it. Nabiki was headed for him for some reason, and whenever Nabiki decided to take an interest in his life, all his hard work usually went down the toilet. The only motivation she had for doing anything was money. Now that she knew he had it, and she wanted it.

It had come as a surprise to him that all his fiancées had abandoned him when it appeared he was dead … he thought they really loved him, even if they were a rather uncomfortable to be around … still, it meant there were fewer people there to glomp him at random times, and they would also no longer have any reason to pound him when he put his foot in his mouth.

Ranma stopped.

Did he just run past the house?

Backing up about ten metres, he saw the number written on the gate and realised that he had indeed gone past it.

His mistake corrected, Ranma continued his jog through the gate, only to stop dead in his tracks as soon as he saw the building.

"Whoa … these people are _very well off_ …"

Of course, he already knew that his hosts were rich, how else could they afford the house, property, and furnishings they had, not to mention the shopping sprees he heard the two younger Diggers had a tendency to go on. Ranma was also certain that those Super Construction Votoms Gina had activated to take care of the damage to the property would cost a pretty penny to make, as with all the equipment Gina owned and made. How could they _not_ have money? But he had not been sure about their parents until then. Of course, he was rich too, now, apparently … and he didn't really look it, nor did he want to.

While going up the path, Ranma was very cautious.

If the daughters were prone to make killer guardian robots, then who was to say they didn't get this interest from the parents, and the last thing he wanted was to be late for his first lesson with his new mentor just because he overlooked a guardian robot and was forced to fight it because it thought him an unwelcome intruder.

Of course, none of the killer robots of the Diggers sisters had ever attacked him, but he thought it better to err on the side of caution.

He was about halfway up the path when he apparently stepped into Mrs Diggers' path, causing her to nearly run him down.

It was apparent that she had not even noticed him as she continued to run.

The determined glint in her eyes as she passed him told him everything.

She had lost a fight, for some reason, and was training to get better and reclaim the standing as the best by defeating her victor. He had done the same thing himself on several occasions and knew the procedure. However, how had she lost a fight? She was supposed to be the best in all of Jade, wasn't she?

Feeling it best not to interrupt her training, Ranma merely called out "Good morning, Mrs Diggers!" as she turned a corner. Just because he wasn't going to interrupt her training didn't mean he had to be rude while keeping out of the way …

Ranma felt he had done what was polite, and stepped eagerly up to the big front doors, which he gave a good knock that surely would reverberate throughout the mansion he was at.

It took nearly a minute before Dr Diggers answered the door.

"Ah, good morning, student!" he greeted in a friendly, yet commanding way, showing leadership yet letting his ability to remaining one of the people shine through. "You were nearly late!"

"Good morning! My apologies, Sensei," replied Ranma, "I was lost in thought as I jogged here and ran a bit too far before realising it, and had to go back! It won't happen again!"

"Be sure it won't," replied Dr Diggers sternly. "Now, come inside, we will start with the basics."

* * *

It was nearly four by the time Ranma returned to the residence he had been allowed to call home for the past week.

He was tired and slightly drained, which made keeping his car in stuff space a slightly straining task.

For over two hours, Dr Diggers had made him listen to a lecture about the techniques, how their energy patterns were formed, and how not to abuse the responsibility that came with the power of these techniques.

Then he had sat Ranma in front of a glass orb on a wooden pedestal in his library and told him to move it, without touching it or blowing on it. Ranma was not one to disobey a sensei, and stared at the orb while trying to figure out a technique for making the thing move … this sounded like telekinesis, which one of the mages on Jade had tried to use on him … he hadn't gotten a complete reading on the pathways, though.

After half an hour of trial and error, Ranma was finally successful in lifting the orb, by _persuading_ the chi surrounding the orb to obey his commands. He was almost reminded of that old Science-fiction movie about a war long ago up among the stars in a galaxy far away.

Dr Diggers looked very surprised for some reason, but masked it very quickly, resuming the all-knowing, wise Master expression that all experts seem to take classes to accomplish for situations where their students surprise them.

This was all Dr Diggers had wanted him to learn that day, so he had Ranma practice with easily replaceable items in a small room with nothing but those items.

When the man left the room, Ranma did just as he was told, but it seemed too tame so he spiced things up a bit by increasing the number of items affected, and making them move in set ways, hurling themselves at him while he practiced jumping, ducking, dodging and weaving through the attacks. This was _his_ way of learning control of this technique … who cared if everyone else did things another way … the bonus to this way was that it helped increase his awareness of his surroundings and his evasion techniques.

This was how Dr Diggers had found him two hours later … evading projectile knickknack that would also avoid crashing against the walls floor or ceiling before hurling themselves at Ranma again.

The man was so stunned that he almost dropped his tray of food, which he had brought for Ranma's lunch.

Before he could, though, Ranma had noticed him and accepted the tray, without turning around or approaching him.

While the tray had floated steadily at Ranma, Dr Diggers had recovered his mentor expression and was further entering the room, noticing that the knickknacks were carefully placing themselves back where they had been before, with the exception of one or two that had broken and were scattered across the floor.

Ranma had eaten his lunch, and while doing this, commanded a broom and pan to sweep away the debris of the knickknacks that had been destroyed.

He was sure the confused and shocked expression on Dr Diggers' face was from how fast he had picked things up … but then, why would he be shocked? He had seen him duplicate one of his techniques the day before after seeing it twice, why would this be surprising?

That didn't matter, really, Ranma was given a couple of hours more to practice when Dr Diggers decided to contact some of his friends for some reason.

The technique was not as straining to his reserves as he would have thought it was, but doing it for hours on end would tire anyone, even his sensei … the good thing was that he had now gotten the technique down, it was almost ingrained in his skills so well that he would hardly notice that he used it.

The weredinictis had barely stepped inside his current home before a handful of papers were being pressed into his chest by a smirking Gina, who then leaned forward enough to press her sizable assets into the papers.

"They are registered," she said huskily, latching onto his arm and starting to walk.

"Huh?"

"Your patents, silly," snickered Gina and started drawing patterns on Ranma's chest with her finger. This mage suit, probably like every other made, was made of a very comfortable and mysterious material.

Ranma looked at the papers he had snatched from his torso before they fell to the ground, and saw that these were indeed authentic originals of his applications and copies of the registered forms at the patent office.

"How'd you do it so fast?" he asked in awe. Iwo had made the process seem long and drawn out when he had brought the topic up shortly after Ranma had first showed him his Stuff-Space generator. It was one of the reason he hadn't patented it himself, he hated paperwork.

"I pulled a few strings," grinned Gina, making sure to press her talents into Ranma's strong but slim arm. She could feel the muscles underneath the skin when she pressed against it, and if she didn't know better, she'd have thought they were made of metal because they were so hard. "I am somewhat of a legend down at the patent office, so the clerk was kind enough to fill everything out on the spot, no waiting …" what was left unsaid was that she had not worn a bra under her knotted-up white shirt, it was a warm day, and she was leaning over the counter … the clerk would have agreed to committing mass murder, impregnate half the country and then commit suicide without realising what he had agreed to. It was probably for the best that he didn't have to leave his seat while filling out these forms and stamping others, or he would have forgotten his task in embarrassment at having his excitement revealed.

Ranma shuddered mildly, why did he feel like this was Akane in disguise, just finishing her dinner and wanting him to eat it?

As he finished looking through the papers for his patents for ki-tech and chi-tech, Ranma looked up and noticed where they were heading … the _lab_!

He was about to make a break for it when Dao came out, wearing his lab coat.

"Ah, you're finally here, Ranma," the Djinni sighed. "I was about to come find you … well, the healing tank is ready for you, as soon as you're inside, we can begin the tests you mentioned to Gina yesterday."

"What tests?" asked Ranma, calmed somewhat down now that he knew he wouldn't be alone with Gina in her lab, but still slightly on edge.

"To figure out your attraction to women," recited Dao, as though it was the most obvious answer. "That, and Gina wished to compare your DNA with that from a dinictis to assure herself that you are indeed the lycanthrope version of one, and to determine what weaknesses your genealogy might have."

"Oh, well, at least it isn't too harmful …"

"Right," chirped Gina cheerfully. "But too many clothes may interfere with the results from the healing tank, so strip, Mister!"

So, this was the reason for his feeling of impending doom …

* * *

"_I'm telling you_," stressed Dr Diggers to his wife. "He isn't drawing on the Ethereal Stream for his spells! And he picked up my flaming skull trick after only seeing it twice! Not to mention perfecting the Levitation spell and moving on to Telekinesis at a Master level within hours!"

"Then where does he draw his chi from?" asked Julia, somewhat surprised by the enthusiasm shown by her husband over a student. He never showed anything but resignation at the stupidity of youth with his previous one.

"That's just it!" exclaimed the normally composed Dr Theodore Diggers. "He'd not drawing on chi at all! He's using some internal source that I've never heard of! He was positively radiating power, and none of it was chi, either from here, Jade or the Ethereal Stream! To top it off, he claims to be _only eighteen years old_!"

"Jealous?" asked Julia, starting to feel somewhat mischievous at her husband's passion.

Dr Diggers sputtered in indignation at the insinuations his wife was making.

Julia started chortling to herself. That man was just too easy to embarrass, but it was attractive … maybe he should be _rewarded_ tonight …

Dr Diggers ended his sputtering when he noticed the look on his wife's face … to be quite honest, he didn't know whether to be frightened or rejoice.

* * *

On a small Pacific island, a small and thoroughly soaked figure crawled out of the water onto the sandy beach.

Happosai had not been in this much contact with water in his entire life, and was glad to be out of it.

On his back was the amorous octopus, clinging to him beyond his capacity to remove.

Normally, Happosai would have little difficulty in removing this cephalopod from his person, but as it stood, though he had healed from the beating he had gotten, his abilities had been greatly reduced. His ki pathways had been disrupted, his hands were horribly scarred from fire, his bones were starting too brittle from the lack of lactose, and he had not had a fix of female ki for over a week.

That was when his eyes fastened on a heavenly sight … full globes of flesh on the front of a woman.

Ignoring his own weaknesses and the octopus on his back, Happosai lunged, and attached himself to those massive mounds.

Enjoying himself for a moment, pinching and fondling, then started siphoning ki from this woman.

Something was wrong … he wasn't getting female energy …

"What's this?" asked the deep voice of the woman.

The woman shifted her legs and a meaty slap on the woman's stomach made Happosai look down.

The weak old man's eyes widened to such an extent that they should have popped out.

There, resting against the woman's abdomen was an appendage that had no business being naturally attached to any woman … a _penis_!

Happosai was so stunned that he didn't notice being picked up and held to display.

"Look here "girls"! Someone wants to _play_!" said the unnaturally deep woman's voice.

Along the beach, women with the same lower appendage were playing with each other or sun bathing. A large banner along the tree-line proclaimed "Welcome to the opening of the First _Shemale_ Island Resort!" and Happosai nearly _bought it_ right there.

"Mommy!" whimpered the old pervert at the sight of dozens of nude women with male appendages jumping up and down in glee. There was no escape for the weakened old man.

* * *

Inside the healing tank, Ranma suddenly got a sense of justice being fulfilled. One of his former tormentors was getting their just dessert.

However, his glee at this feeling receded quickly as he remembered that Gina was staring at a certain part of his anatomy. His hands were covering this part, but just barely, and Ranma started doubting Gina's statement about clothing interfering with the instrument readings … it may in fact have been made up on the spot just to get him out of his clothes … and Akane thought _he_ was a pervert …

He would have moved something outside the tank to block her view of his nether parts, but he wasn't certain if his use of power would affect the equipment in any way, and therefore kept a lid on it.

"Hey!"

Ranma looked up to the doorway, where Lydia was standing, looking very annoyed.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked the irate wererat. After only one night the woman was acting like she'd been there for years … though she did seem very on edge around Britanny at breakfast.

For a moment, Ranma thought she was angry with him, until she stomped over to Gina and started wagging a finger at her.

"I will not allow you to take advantage of my – er – _Ranma_!" threatened the wererat. She had meant to say something else, but cut herself off before completing the sentence … Ranma wondered what she _was_ going to say.

"I'm not," countered Gina in a gloating manner. "I am conducting a physical on him, Dao is my witness, and will ensure that I am not doing anything immoral."

This last part was said in a slightly more subdued tone than the start of the statement, as though she wasn't entirely happy about it.

Lydia pondered the excuse and found it valid.

"Oh, well … might as well enjoy the show …" she concluded and placed herself next to Gina, looking into the tank that held Ranma. "Wow …"

Dao, in a show of mercy towards Ranma, turned off the lights in and surrounding the healing tank, effectively ending the peepshow.

"Aw …" complained the two women in synchronised disappointed moans. It is amazing how a common goal can bring even the worst of enemies together … though this wasn't the case here.

For the next few minutes, both women were fuming at Dao for robbing them of their entertainment, until Gina remembered that she had surveillance cameras and rushed to her monitors to review the tapes of the healing tank until the lights were put out. Lydia had tagged along and was peering at the screen over her shoulder.

Finally, a -ding- sounded from the healing tank, and the liquid started to drain. The tests seemed to have been completed.

The two women crowded to the tank to see the weredinictis inside as he dried off with the towel Dao handed him as the glass was raised, but again were not able to see through the dark, much to their disappointment.

"So, what's the word?" asked Ranma, stepping fully dressed out of the dark.

"Well," started Dao, tapping a few keys on the computer keyboard. "You have a very high pheromone level, as suspected. There seems to be nothing in your genetic makeup to indicate any allergies against silver, or any other reactions beyond that of a normal human." Read Dao. "Further more, you seem to have a highly condensed muscle mass, perhaps ten times the condensed mass of a normal human, which would explain why they shrink somewhat in appearance in your hybrid forms …

"You seem to have a natural immunity to most known poisons, not to mention quite a few toxins and harmful stimulants such as cocaine, heroin and many known hallucinogens …

"Beyond that, your hearing seems to be on the level that is registered for werejaguars, your speed is well above human speed, your eyesight is on equal line with hawks but adjustable between levels of sight, through focusing on something at a set distance and adjusting accordingly, and your strength is nearly as great as Britanny's … and this is disregarding the high energy readings you gave off, which indicates that you are a high level mage that is capable of enhancing your abilities to much beyond your set physical abilities. The equipment here is not capable of determining what class of mage you belong to, though, or even your natural mystical abilities… are you even listening?"

Dao looked back over his shoulder to see Ranma trapped between the two women attached to his arms, both of whom were giving him seductive grins and scowled at each other behind his back.

"Doing my best to," replied Ranma shakily. Not only was this distracting, but he kept expecting Akane to storm through the doors and bash him through the floor for being a pervert and flirting with women. It didn't really matter that his mother had told him that it appeared like all his fiancées had just given up on him, with his luck, she was the one who found him first.

"Ranma no baka!"

The sentence rung through the lab, and Ranma froze in terror.

She found him! Like this! He was doomed!

Another set of arms snaked themselves around him from behind.

"You didn't save a spot for me!" accused the voice with what could only be a pout even if it wasn't seen.

"B-Beebee?" asked Ranma shakily and looked over his shoulder to see a replica of his female human form the way it was now, wearing a skimpy red cotton tube top and pale denim jeans that could have been painted on. It didn't occur to him at the time that he was seeing this through the corner of his eyes, or that this looked somewhat like a young Mrs Diggers with a couple of Asian features.

The woman grinned at him, stating that this was indeed her.

"How do you like my new upgrades?" she asked seductively and made sure to press certain parts into his back.

Ranma found himself unable to answer, and felt very faint.

Dao shook his head and looked back on the monitor.

"Some guys have all the luck …" he sighed and saved the results for later, when Gina wasn't too busy fawning over Ranma and glaring at the wererat and robot in a human shell.

* * *

Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, Nabiki was having a crummy time … This in spite of her being in First Class, and not having to pay the high price for getting the seat.

The reason for her displeasure was this extremely obese American man sitting in the seat next to her window seat.

He was, for lack of a better word, _huge_! Dangerously close to exceeding five hundred pounds if Nabiki was right in her guess.

On top of his size, which was spilling over onto her side of the armrest, he seemed to have had some difficulty in adjusting to the food while on his Japanese vacation, which caused him to complain about abdominal pains from pockets of digestion-induced gas passing through. Not to mention he got warm very quickly once the airplane doors were closed.

Over the next couple of hours, Nabiki was subjected to the man moaning in pain from the passing gas, and the smell of his suspiciously exaggerated sweating. Apparently, he had a glandular disorder that caused him to sweat nearly three times that of a normal fat person. This disorder also made him order more to drink than anyone else in First Class, which created two more problems, because now he was not only passing wind and sweating, he was drunk and had to go to the bathroom very often.

The man was not a pleasant drunk, and alternated between complaining loudly and colourfully about his stay in Nabiki's native country, flirting with the stewardesses, barking out demands for more to drink to compensate for the lost fluids, and asking Nabiki to buy a few drinks for herself to give to him once he reached his limit for alcoholic beverages.

She did not do this, as his phrasing made it seem he had two meanings, one literal and one perverted. The perverted meaning could be interpreted as him inviting her to his home for sex, as that was all he meant Asian women were good for, an opinion he made no effort to hide from her. It also suggested he knew someone in "the business" that would be more than happy to arrange a green card for her, so she could come working for them.

At one point during the flight, when there was some turbulence, the man cupped a feel under the pretence of falling when he got up to go to the bathroom.

If Nabiki was not about to be a guest in the man's country, she would have asked the stewardess for a mallet to pound him with. Unfortunately, using a blunt instrument with harmful intents on an American citizen makes one seem like a villain when one is not a native to said country, so she had to keep her ire bottled up … Ranma would pay for making her suffer like this …

* * *

In his lab in Atlanta, Lord Talon was not entirely pleased … though it could not be said that he was angry.

The hair his minions had brought from their latest assignment was not that of Ranma Koki.

Though the redeeming side was that in his analysis of the DNA strands he extracted from the hair he found that there was a blend of DNA with the characteristics of _Mus_, not _Felis_, and that of a male human. A _wererat_.

He was displeased that the fools had gotten the wrong hair, but in doing so, revealed that there were more of the genetic samples out there … perhaps he could get more samples and create his own army of super beings by splicing the genes from Ranma Koki and Britanny Diggers 'Gia. Oh, what diabolical plots he would be able to perform if that was the case.

But first, he needed the samples he had asked for, not someone else's.

Leaning back in his office chair, Peewee started cackling evilly.

"Bwahahahahaha!"

This evil cackle was the best part of being a villain …

"Erwin! Have you finished your vegetables?" called the villain's mother.

"Mom! You're ruining my moment of triumph!" complained the preteen boy.

"No more _world domination schemes_ until you've finished all of your dinner!" retorted the stern mother.

"Aw!" complained Peewee in a sulk.

* * *

In his office in Furinkan High School, Principle Kuno stood looking out the window, seeing the beginnings of another day of school, though one of the last of the semester. However, the look on his face was anything but happy … he was depressed, as the lone tear running down from behind his shades proved.

He missed his Hawaii …

This place was so boring and dreary now that that delinquent Saotome was gone.

And people seemed to fight him every step of the way when he tried to improve on the school …

Cutting the students' hair was met with a beating every time he suggested it.

Ensuring the delinquent students that were tardy didn't get into the school during school hours was also met with a beating every time he did it.

But worst of all, he was not able to take off for the beach to go surfing when he felt like it … his teachers seemed to hold some sort of delusion that he had to stay in his office and actually _work_ during the day, and would get cross with him whenever he didn't meet their expectations … why should he suffer along with them?

Well, he wasn't going to stand for it!

Sitting back down in his chair, Principle Kuno picked up his phone and dialled a familiar number.

"Aloha, kiki, I want a ticket to the Blue Hawaii by mornin', ya?" he said in a commanding tone. "It be worth your time … thank you, kiki, aloha!"

Setting the receiver back in its cradle, Principle Kuno opened his desk drawer and pulled out a small duffle bag filled with his essentials … other things could be bought there.

" Hawaii, I be comin' back!"

* * *

Author's Notes; Another chapter reread, and as usual, only cosmetic changes were made. Let's make a game out of it! Spot where I changed it and win my praise! That's right, no _prize_, but my PRAISE! What could be more worth than that? We'll begin right now … no? Okay, it was a lame game anyway … 


	16. Chapter 16

(Re-Posted January 11th 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

The Diggers household was indeed a lively place. Dinner is not an exception.

In the kitchen, Beebee was helping Stryyp preparing said meal, when the phone rang.

"Diggers residence, how may I help you?" answered Beebee cheerfully.

" May I speak with Ranma? It's urgent! " said a female voice on the other end.

"Whom may I say is calling?" asked Beebee suspiciously.

" No time! Get him! "

Huffing at the nerve of the caller, Beebee was tempted to hang up, but it seemed important.

Excusing herself from the kitchen Beebee went to the nearest intercom, and called for Ranma to come to the phone quickly.

In the workout room, Ranma extracted himself from the hydraulic weights, and sighed. This was one of the few times Britanny wasn't on the thing, and he had just managed to shake off Brianna, Lydia, Beebee and Gina so he would be able to train a bit. Brianna wanted his opinion of Beebee's upgrades, and tried to drag him off to her room so he could _give his statement_ there. She looked very tired, leading Ranma to believe that she had been up all night getting Beebee together. Lydia had claimed she could help him _train_, and also tried to pull him to her room. Beebee was very enthused about her new body, and kept showing it to him like an excited child that had just gotten a present they had wanted for a long time, luckily, she had yet to remove any clothes to give him the demonstrations of what she was now able to do. Gina had wanted him to do another _experiment_ … this time in her bedroom. What was _wrong_ with these people? What was so important about getting him into their bedrooms?

Sighing, Ranma picked up the receiver of the phone connected to this intercom, and wondered who it could be on the other end.

"Hello?"

" Ranma! It's Nabiki-chan! I'm at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport now, my time is almost up, I'll wait for you to pick me up at the entrance! Bye! "

-Click!-

"I'm a dead man …" moaned Ranma.

Whenever Nabiki used that sugary tone and used the suffix "-chan" at the end of anyone's name, she was either infuriated beyond description, or she was after your money, the first of which happened to end up with the results of the second.

"Better not keep her waiting …" he sighed. The longer she had to wait, the more painful it would be for his wallet when he caught up with her. Like a "money bandage", to use an apt image, the faster it's torn off, the shorter the sting will last.

He caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror as he was about to enter the main floor, and realised that he couldn't go get Nabiki looking like this … he'd have to change, at least until he had briefed her on his changes …

With another sigh, this time in resignation at changing out of the form he had gotten so used to, Ranma shifted to his human form. He was at the front door when he thought to check if the hole for his tail made his behind visible, luckily, the mage suit sealed the hole as soon as he shifted forms so no cracks could be made about his attire.

He had his hand on the knob when Beebee peeked around the corner and saw him.

"Where are you going?" she asked curiously. "Dinner's almost ready."

"Nabiki's at the airport," said Ranma tiredly. "I have to go get her before she gets _impatient_."

"Can I come? Please! I haven't ridden in a car before! I'll be quiet, I promise!"

Beebee hadn't had a human body for more than a few hours, and still she had gotten the puppy-dog eyes down pat. The eyes were just wide enough, a slight glisten of moisture along the lower eyelid, and the pouting lower lip just moist enough and extended far enough without being too exaggerated.

This action also served to made him realise that she even less like his female side … her features were paler, more western … perhaps what Mrs Diggers might have looked like in her youth, with a few Asian features mixed in … the eyes were slightly narrower than a westerner's, and the facial structure was soft, making it appear that she had a very small amount of baby fat under her skin. Her breasts weren't as abundant as her creator or her kin, but were noticeable, but the rest of her forms were very well put together, and would challenge any guy out there not to notice them.

It was unfair to have this technique used on him, Ranma thought. He had little to no resistance against it, despite how often it had been used on him. Only certain individuals would not pull it off right for him. Madrid tried it on him, but her hidden agenda glared at him, and made him use the Soul of Ice instinctively to beat down the effects of the pheromones she let out. Beebee had no such attraction mechanism built in, but even so, or maybe because of it, Ranma's defences were crumbling.

"Fine," he finally replied. "But don't do anything to her unless she warrants it, understood?"

"Understood," chirped Beebee, making a brief salute then proceeded to jump in place with excitement.

"You're going out?" asked a voice from down the hall, the two turned to see Gina come at them in a hesitant pace, Lydia must have heard, and came out into the hall was well.

"Shotgun!" called Beebee before the two other women could say anything else.

"Jinkies, I wanted that seat …" grumbled Gina, folding her arms under her bust and pouted cutely.

"But I called it," chirped Beebee, getting more cheerful at having claimed her spot.

"Where are you off to," yawned Brianna, emerging from her room.

"Airport, to pick up Nabiki," grunted Ranma. "And I don't think you'd make much of a good first impression, being as tired as you are," he added, discouraging the woman from asking to come. "Get some rest, Brianna. You did a good job on Beebee, you deserve to sleep, even this early in the evening."

The time was barely seven, not really an appropriate time to go to sleep for most people, but Brianna had after all been up for at least forty-eight hours, if not more, constructing Beebee's new body and separating her A.I. chips and memory drive from the explosive devices of the standard Peebo, and inserting them into the human-like body. It amazed Ranma how she could pull that off when she had not even close to the speeds he could get up to while working, and only within a couple of days.

"Nah," yawned Brianna. "Need dinner first … and it seems Stryyp could use a hand preparing it … maybe I'll just do that, running around the state is slightly more than I'm willing to handle at the moment … unless I drink a few shots of espresso …"

"Okay, then … bye!" called Ranma hastily and nearly ran out the door. He didn't want to see how Brianna would be if she was on a caffeine-high … just the thought made him cringe. She was really hyperactive on any normal day … _adding_ to it seemed … wrong.

The three other women followed, fearing the possible hyper Brianna and the damage she could cause.

Once in the driveway, Lydia looked around.

"So, Ranma," Lydia started. "Where do you park your f#- er - car?" she corrected her language as Beebee directed a glare at her, reminding her that Ranma didn't like that kind of talk. Maybe someone should have informed her that Beebee wouldn't blow up anymore if agitated …

"Oh," replied Ranma slowly, not really wanting to reveal his secret. "It's – oh, Kami, what's that?" he interrupted in a panicked voice, pointing down the street.

The women looked down as well, looking for the source of distress, wondering how terrible something must be to have Ranma so scared.

While the women were not looking, Ranma pulled his car from stuff space, and leaned against it casually by the time they turned back.

"What are you tal-" started Gina, but cut herself off when she saw the car was where there had been none before. "Where did your car come from?"

"I guess it must have been my imagination …" laughed Ranma nervously. "And I made the car myself, thank you for asking."

"No, I meant … never mind … forget it …"

"Good," replied Ranma. "Beebee, you know how to pull the seat forward to admit Lydia and Gina, right?"

"Of course, I was with you during most of your modifications," answered Beebee. "You moved the seat once or twice while I watched."

To demonstrate, Beebee opened the door, stuck her hand under the passenger seat and lifted on a bar that was placed there, sliding the seat forward, while the other hand lifted on a tab at the door-side of the seat, making the seat lean forward.

"See? Piece of cake!"

"Very good," complimented Ranma and opened his own door. "Let's get going! Nabiki will try to kill me if we make her wait longer than she wants!"

After a moment, Ranma stuck his head further into the car and looked sternly at the women.

"And no disturbing the driver," he added. "That means no groping, fondling, tickling, or jokes that make me lose my concentration, and we _all_ stay in human form, got it?"

Beebee nodded enthusiastically, really only happy about going for a drive and getting a different perspective of the world, literally. Gina and Lydia gulped and nodded guiltily, showing that they had thought of doing something like it, but agreed not to do it anyway. Lydia also shifted to human form both because of the warning and because they were going to a public place, and revealing the existence of wererats to the public would result not only in her being thrown out of the clan, but hunted down like a rabid dog. The last of which might happen anyway once Gothwrain learned of her actions … but, damn it, as much as she feared the old wererat, she feared losing Ranma more … it was too bad she had competition …

For a brief moment the two, not knowing that they were mimicking each other, Lydia and Gina glared at Beebee for getting the best seat.

"Hang on," warned Ranma, and connected the cogs to the springs and flooring the acceleration pedal, causing the car to screech its tires for a moment before it got traction and sped up down the street.

* * *

Nabiki Tendo, known mercenary in Nerima, prized employee at her job, the Ice Queen of Furinkan High School, was shivering and muttering curses.

While she waited outside the airport for Ranma to get her, a brief but violent shower of rain had passed by, soaking her to the skin. This was the reason she was shivering … the fat pig that had sat next to her on the airplane and was standing not far from her under an umbrella that looked more like a parasol and kept giving her perverted leers was the reason she was cursing.

Had she known she might end up in this kind of situation, she would have worn thicker clothing and brought an umbrella of her own … maybe some mace or a tazer as well …

Nabiki was tempted to go back inside and mug someone for their umbrella, but she did not want to wait longer than she had to, and risking Ranma not waiting for her if he came while she was inside was not worth it.

Looking around, she tried to distinguish a leaping red spot along the horizon in the fading light. How else was he supposed to come get her? In a car? The thought nearly caused her to laugh despite her mood.

"Hey, Nabiki!"

"Huh?" Nabiki looked down to the street before her instead of the horizon, and was surprised to find a big, black car of a very odd design that looked _very expensive_. The silver outline of a black cat's paw on the hood looked very well done, and the wheels looked like custom jobs, not unlike the car. The most surprising thing was that the doors were open, and Ranma, sans pigtail, was leaning out the driver's side, looking at her expectantly.

A woman that Nabiki first mistook for Ranma's girl side stepped out of the passenger seat and opened the path into the back seat for her. Of course, on closer investigation, there were some differences between Ranko and this woman … the paler skin, the lesser defined muscles, the lack of a pigtail made the woman's hair run freely down her shoulders, and most notable was the style of clothing … even Ranko wouldn't wear that if she got a year's supply of free ice cream for it. It was too tight and revealing.

"Get in, or we'll leave you here!" threatened Ranma finally, breaking Nabiki's stupor.

Not wanting to see how much Ranma had changed in making good on his threats, Nabiki nearly dove into the car, causing the two women in the back seat to groan in disgust at being wetted by Nabiki's clothes. Not that it was her that was the cause for disgust, nor her choice in clothing, just the wetness that was a result of the shower.

"Okay," she started as the redhead returned the seat to its rightful position and got back in. "Now that I'm here, I want to know everything, Ranma, or I'm calling in my debt at fifty percent interests per day since you first sat foot in my home."

"Where would you like me to start," replied Ranma calmly, though the car was getting slightly cooler.

The car started much the same as it usually did, abruptly, and the five of them were quickly making their way from the airport.

Nabiki was slightly startled by the sudden start, and seemingly careless driving, but soon composed herself.

"Firstly, where did you run off to?" she demanded. His departure had caused her well of funds to dry up, and that always made her cranky. Hey, when did Ranma's ears come to a point?

"I didn't run anywhere," chuckled Ranma. It was almost good to see things hadn't changed that much with the people he knew. "Kuno's scroll sent me to some sort of prison tower for these supernatural, evil beings."

Gina perked up at this.

"The Dragon Pharaoh's Tower?" she asked. "You went there?"

"I thought I told you already … didn't I?" asked Ranma absently as he cut off a big rig.

"No, you said something about some mean people and a stupid ball that got you sent to Jade, but you didn't say anything other than that before skipping to Jade."

"Oops," winced Ranma. "Sorry, but there wasn't much to tell … after I beat them up for laughing at me, the stupid ball sent me to Jade … Brianna is very feared in that tower, just to let you know …

"Anyway, I wandered the grass-covered desert for about a day before finding some signs of life, a caravan under attack by bandits. I did my _thing_ and saved most of the merchants and passengers and had to run away, because the women just wouldn't leave me alone!" this last part was emphasised by him swerving out of the way of an old person who had decided that the world could wait, and speeding was not necessary to get where one was going.

"A day later, I found the bandits' lair, and decided to spend the night. Some short guy with a beard started attacking me in the morning, and was cheating with some rings, like Akane and Shampoo when they got their hands on the Super Soba, but I beat him anyway and discovered that there was a hidden floor beneath the one I was on. There had to have been over a hundred caged and bound women down there with barely a stitch of clothing on and so thin from lack of proper nourishment, that they looked like skeletons with some skin stretched over them.

"I rescued them, and nursed them to such a state that they could move on their own, and escorted them to the nearest town, which was Seer's Hamlet. Some of the women knew the way and played the part of guides …

"I travelled the desert a couple of days more before happening on the remains of another caravan, and followed the tracks to one of the few mountains of the desert. There were bandits here as well, and they had also kidnapped a good number of women. I beat up the bandits and freed the women, and went to sleep, as it was so late.

"When I woke up, I was in prison, in this thing called a Mage Cage, this flimsy metal box with silver lining, and decided to escape … I hadn't done anything wrong, after all, so I had no business being in jail.

"This huge woman suddenly burst through the wall down the hall and came into my cell looking for me, but she couldn't find me because I was hiding. When she ran off with Brianna clinging to her, though why she was put in jail in the first place is beyond me, I followed until we were out of town.

"I don't think I'm supposed to say anything more, because Mrs Diggers told us not to, and I don't want to make her angry …" finished Ranma seriously.

The women were stunned at his story. He had had the perfect opportunity to have sexual relations several times during his adventure, the opportunities had even been pushed into his face, and he hadn't taken them? If what he said was even halfway true, then the women were nearly throwing themselves at him, and he didn't take advantage of the offers made.

"You won't get off that easily, Sao- Koki!" growled Nabiki. "I want to know more!"

"Okay," replied Ranma conversationally. "I just got myself a new sensei, Gina's father. Gina is on your right, by the way, and on your left is Lydia. I've lived with Gina and her sisters since I returned to Earth … oh, nearly a week ago …"

"More, Koki," growled Nabiki.

"Nope," replied Ranma. "Not gonna happen," he added. "And I'd like to see you try to explain my debt to the police if you try and force me to pay it … after all, most of my debt came from acts that would be considered a common courtesy in most of the world, not to mention that when I said I had no money, you did the acts anyway and added the money to my so-called debt. And if you try to bring up interests, I just have to say that I can't remember there ever having been an agreement of _any_ percent interest, which makes the claim more or less invalid.

"And it you persist in your futile pursuit, I will have to _teach_ you the error of your ways."

There was a moment of silence in the car, broken only by the honking of car horns as Ranma cut several people off and the screeching of his tires as he made sudden turns.

"Is that a threat, Koki?" asked Nabiki sweetly. That tone always managed to break his threats, because it was a counter threat of higher debts … and she knew he wouldn't hit a girl, so there was really nothing backing up his threat.

"No, it is a promise, Tendo," returned Ranma. "I've changed in the time I've been gone from Japan, I've given up on the idiot act I've been playing since I started at Furinkan High School, and I've not only changed behaviour, but species as well … my kind gets very territorial and you wouldn't want to anger me …"

Again, there was a moment of silence.

"So, you forgot to introduce someone," commented Nabiki, trying to sound more annoyed than scared. Ranma's icy tone reminded her that this man had brought down a mountain in one of his fights, and he could do that and worse to her if he felt like it.

"Of course, how negligent of me," chuckled Ranma, completely erasing any trace of his previous tone. "Beebee, this is Nabiki, Nabiki, Beebee. Beebee is my secretary, I believe … Nabiki is the sister of my former fiancée, if I understood Kasumi's retelling of events …"

"Actually, I'm your _new fiancée_," corrected Nabiki, testing the waters. She expected him to blow his top, scream denials and bemoan his fate … she did not expect Ranma to start laughing so violently that it looked like they would drive off the road for a moment.

"Not on your life!" he chuckled, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye. "The honour pledge was between the Saotome family and the Tendo family, and as you so aptly put it, my name is not Saotome anymore!"

"Actually, I arranged it with your mother," tried Nabiki. She wanted his money before he spent it all on more stupid things like cars, if the one they were driving in was any indication of what he spent it on.

"Not likely," retorted Ranma, his mirth slowly fading away. "Mom would have been over the moon with excitement at the prospect of grandbabies, and would not have hesitated to inform me of the decision when I spoke with her last night." He paused a moment, looking quickly into the mirror to see her expression. "You know of my patent and Iwo's doings …" he concluded. "You know I have money and you want it, badly …"

"Not at all, Koki," denied Nabiki, trying to sound innocent. "I just want a bigger share than the managerial cut of your profits, say, seventy percent?"

"You're not my manager, Iwo is-"

" Iwo resigned from the job and appointed me to be his successor," corrected Nabiki smugly.

The tension could be cut with a knife, as the three other occupants of the car watched this drama unfold. Gina suddenly wished she had some popcorn to munch on … this was better than any soap opera she had ever glanced at in passing.

"How about I fire you and assign the position to someone _less greedy_, like Gina, Lydia or Beebee?" countered Ranma, now equally smug as she had been.

"You wouldn't!" breathed Nabiki, for the first time actually letting a little of the fear she had slip through. He wouldn't seriously think of letting these apparent airheads take over his economy, would he?

"In a heartbeat," countered Ranma immediately. "Isn't that right girls?"

"Oh, yes, I'd do it for free!" chirped Beebee, happy to be included in the conversation.

"Absolutely," agreed Gina, "I wouldn't ask for more than the regular managerial fee, but I would gladly give discounts for my _friends_ …"

"Well, I guess I could settle for the standard fees …" agreed Lydia reluctantly. "But I wouldn't say no to a _bonus_ now and again …"

Nabiki stared open-mouthed at the three, hardly being able to grasp that someone wasn't with Ranma to get his money, or because Genma had messed things up again.

* * *

At the Diggers residence, two forms were sneaking in through an open window.

These were Moisha Rich and Romeo Ellis, wererats, trained assassins, and currently in search of their team leader, Lydia McKraken.

"All right, Moisha," started Romeo. "You search the bedrooms and common rooms, and I'll search the bathrooms and labs, okay?"

"Like, okay," replied Moisha seriously. "Meet you outside in, like, twenty minutes?"

"Right, let's get to work!"

* * *

"Why are we taking this exit?" asked Gina curiously, leaning over the back of the seat in front of her, watching the highway zip past them. "Our exit isn't for another couple of miles."

"Because _someone_, who shall remain nameless, didn't think to bring more luggage than could fit in a small and fashionable handbag …" replied Ranma calmly. "So we need to get to a super mart before it closes for the night, and get that certain someone at least a change of clothes and some toiletries."

In the backseat, between Gina and Lydia, Nabiki blushed at being patronised like this, but didn't dare speak up, because Ranma had put the fear of Poverty in her. Of course, she didn't mention to Ranma that she had her credit card with her, and enough money in her account to last her a month or two if spent sparingly, though it was mostly for her ticket back home.

Beebee got even more excited.

"Could we get me some clothes as well?" she asked, her face lighting up in anticipation of an answer.

"Don't you have any?" asked Ranma in return.

"I'm only borrowing these from Brianna," clarified Beebee, seeing where this was going, she started getting even more excited.

Nabiki did not want to know what the woman normally wore if she didn't have any clothes, and kept her mouth shut for her own sake … though she had to wonder if Beebee had been raised in a _naturist camp_ and brought the habit with her when she moved in with the Diggers …

"Then I guess we could get you a couple of outfits …" agreed Ranma.

"Yay!" cheered Beebee happily. Only her concern for the safety of the other drivers on the road prevented her from lunging at Ranma in a hug of gratitude. Instead, she settled for bouncing eagerly in her seat, an action she would have been hard pressed to do in her previous body.

It wasn't that she really cared about the clothes … she could walk around without a stitch on for all she cared, but she had learned through observation and questioning that clothes were meant to cover indecent areas and to keep warm. It was merely out of respect for the customs of her assumed culture that she wore clothes at all, that, and Brianna said something about some men taking public female nudity as an invitation. An invitation to _what_, she wouldn't say, only that it wouldn't be nice.

The super mart was not overly noticeable, for what it was, and there were luckily not as many people there at this time of day, so very few were there to question the strange and intimidating car, which could have almost been mistaken for a tank with smooth edges if it had a big cannon mounted on it, parking as close to the entrance of the mart as possible without taking up any handicap spots or in spots marked for compact cars … wouldn't do to get a parking ticket …

"Okay," said Ranma as he hopped out of his car. "We have almost an hour until they close, why don't we all just get something we feel we need but haven't got back home, and I'll pay for it? Nabiki, you get one or two changes of clothing, some toiletries and breakfast foods you'd like, but don't exaggerate, I will exorcise my right to turn down any items that hasn't any good reason for being there. The rest of you, feel free to choose whatever you'd like, just keep it within reasonable limits, I'm not _made_ of money …"

The women murmured their consent as they got out. Beebee, however, was bouncing with joy, and could not contain herself any longer.

"Thank you!" she squealed and latched onto Ranma's chest, repeating her thanks into the top half of his mage suit.

"No problem, Beebee," answered Ranma carefully, still not entirely comfortable with physical contact. It was somewhat different when Beebee was a Peebo, because then there wasn't any confusion about what she was … now, she was as human as she could get without the help of magic or science decades if not centuries ahead of the current level … but she did almost possess an independent aura now … how did she get that?

Now, he needed a distraction …

"Hey, is that a shooting star?" he asked dramatically.

"Where?"

While the women were searching the sky in the general direction he had pointed, Ranma stowed the car away, somehow managing to avoid letting Beebee notice the big vehicle getting by her. There were about ten people in the parking lot, going to or from the mart, but they had not been looking at them directly, and assumed that their eyes were playing tricks on them when the car they thought had been there was gone.

"Must just have been a passing car …" sighed Ranma in feigned disappointment. "We'll meet at the register in half an hour … the last hour or so of the working day is when the staff starts to get tense, so the shorter time we spend here, the smaller is the chance of offending them."

"Hey!" exclaimed Nabiki. "Where's the car?"

"I have no idea of what you mean," replied Ranma casually and started walking to the super mart, which was difficult with Beebee firmly attached to his torso's right side and her legs locked around his right leg.

* * *

Romeo was in deep doo-doo.

He had searched the labs first, finding no trace of his elusive leader, nor any trace of her kidnapper. He had searched the downstairs bathrooms and toilets, and found nothing.

This was how he ended up here, hiding in the corner of the shower stall in his rat form, staring with quivering fear up at the werecheetah, who was not only nude, but also using the shower. He was terrified beyond the expression of mortal words.

And the werecheetah was making horrifying noises that sent chills up his spine, which he was convinced a way of torturing Lydia, wherever they had hidden her. It may be disguised as singing, _but he knew better_.

He knew there was only one way to get out of this situation alive … it had worked twice already, so he knew it would work.

Slowly, Romeo shifted to human form.

* * *

Britanny had just finished an after-dinner run, and felt the need for a shower before going to bed with her hubby … maybe reward him for his great dinner with some _nookie_ …

With a plan in mind, she went to the upstairs bathroom, it being the least likely place where she'd be interrupted by any of the houseguests.

The warm water was refreshing, and washed away some of the tension her muscles were recovering from as well as the dirt or sweat from the workout.

This feeling of relaxation made her feel like some music … but since she hadn't brought any devices for such a purpose with her, she had to provide her own.

"-the six o'clock alarm would never ring …" sang Britanny cheerfully, humming the words she didn't really know. "Cheer up Sleepy Jean … oh, what can it mean … to a daydream believer and a Homecoming Queeeeen …"

It wasn't the best rendition of the song, but it wasn't _bad_.

Suddenly, a pair of hands came out from behind her, and grabbed onto the "fun bags" meant only for her muffin!

"Aaaarg!" she screamed inarticulately, spun around and slammed her fist into a face of the male wererat that kept _touching_ her at each encounter, and had just done so again.

The pervert crashed through the wall to the hallway as a result of the punch.

"Moisha, save yourself! Avenge my death!" he screamed before crashing into the next wall, where he stopped, making an ominous spider-web crack around him.

* * *

Moisha had just finished her search and was about to join Romeo outside when something crashed through the wall in front of her. This "something" screamed for her to save herself and avenge his death.

She realised that this was Romeo about the time he crashed into the wall opposing the one he had crashed through.

Not wanting to have another member of the trio kidnapped by the werecats of the house, Moisha raced forward and grabbed her incapacitated team mate before racing on. She just _knew_ the werecheetah was in pursuit.

* * *

In the kitchen, Brianna had made some tuna sandwiches for Ranma and the others, along with tuna salad. They had missed dinner, so maybe this would make up for it … of course, they wouldn't notice if one or two sandwiches were missing … or if they only had a little tuna in them …

She had drunk about ten cans of caffeinated soft drinks to recover from her tiredness and was as alert as ever.

Maybe Ranma would be up for some "workout" when he got back …

-CRASH!-

Looking up at the noise, Brianna realised that they had _intruders_.

Grinning wickedly, Brianna pressed a button on her wristwatch.

"Intruders on the premises, guys, let 'em have it!" she declared loudly.

Over the speaker part of her time-telling device, she heard the enthused cheer of dozens of Peebo ready for what they did best, blow bad guys up.

"Let's _rock_ this joint!"

* * *

In Seer's Hamlet, Sheila was very tired, and smelling badly.

She had just gotten back from her shift at the Edge Guard's new duty, the garbage dump, as she had done nearly every day for the past week.

Of the group, the ones that weren't complaining so much were Onoli and Thropan. Onoli, because he was a spiritual sort of person that believed that justice would be served and he worked on finding the kidnapped magic users and clear the Northern Edge Guard's reputation. Thropan was not too displeased because he got a chance to find material for his inventions, and the light workload gave him time to work on them.

Tirga had been more grumpy than normal, because he was unable to attract women with the stench that now followed him around.

"Serves him right," muttered Sheila as she thought about it. He deserved to be taken down a peg or two … then maybe he'd do something about her.

At the moment, she wasn't certain if she cared what he did one way or the other.

Ever since she had seen him, Sheila had a budding, but growing crush on Ranma. Being around him was intoxicating, and being away from him made her feel empty.

At first she thought it would just pass … but over a week had gone by, and the feelings of loss were still there, festering, for lack of a better word. She occasionally got occupied enough to forget him for a little while, but as soon as she wound down, he returned to her thoughts.

She wondered if she would ever see him again, if he'd be back or if she had to go search for him. If it wasn't for her duty to the people of Jade through her occupation, she would have followed him by now.

-Sniff-Sniff-

Right now, she needed another wash … even three times before bed was not enough to get the dirty feeling away after the new assignment.

* * *

It was nearly nine when Ranma and company returned to the Diggers household.

Or what was left of it …

Nearly a quarter the house was little more than charred remains, and the entire property was covered in craters from countless explosions.

In the front yard, Brianna and a few Peebo were dancing in circles around the remains of a tree, to which two forms were tied, not unlike the witches of old tied to the stake, or like the cinematic Indians did to the dentist portrayed by Bob Hope in one of the few westerns he did. Britanny was standing in only a towel, lightly kicking one of the forms now and again to produce sounds of suffering, and scowling if the sounds waited after she kicked.

This sight provided enough distraction for Ranma to stow away the car and extract the purchases.

Lydia groaned and slapped her face when she recognised the two forms as her team mates. Charred and bound.

The groan attracted Brianna's attention from her victory dance.

"Ranma!" she exclaimed in delight.

Before he could drop the purchases, he found Brianna had lunged at him, and latched onto his neck in a perfect rendition of an Amazon glomp.

* * *

Speaking of which, just south of Brunswick, Georgia, wandering through a small forest was the hunting party of Amazons. All of which were soaking wet and muttering dark curses about temperamental mages with bad aim, in their native tongues.

However, that is not to say that muttering dark curses was all they said.

"Great-grandmother," asked a confused Shampoo.

"What is it, Shampoo?" replied the withered old woman as she jumped along the forest floor on her staff.

"If Airen strong as Weapons-Master, why we hunt him?" asked the normally bubbly Amazon warrior. This journey had changed her views of the world just a little more than her stay in Nerima had, and it was causing her to question certain facts of her life. "He not get mad?"

-Whack!-

"Don't question our traditions, child," chided Cologne the young woman who rubbed her head where the old crone had struck her. "Our laws have held fast for three thousand years. A pair of teens will not be able to change everything. You would do well to teach your husband to obey our laws when we catch him, or he will have to answer to the punishments along with you. And speak _properly_, you sound like an idiot speaking like that!"

"Yes, great-grandmother," replied Shampoo sadly.

"Good," grunted Cologne. "And now that we are back on Earth, _we_ have the final say in out approach, not that stuck-up young "leader" they sent …"

With that fact established to her great-grandchild, Cologne started cackling to herself as she envisioned the strong children Ranma would give Shampoo. The tribe would be stronger than ever, and the balance of power of the Jusenkyo area would no longer be even, but in _their_ favour.

It was indeed a bright future for the tribe … if they succeeded …

* * *

Author's Notes; another chapter reread, and as before, only cosmetic changes were made. If there is still something wrong, please tell me, and be specific.

Credits; Nabiki waiting in the rain was based on the idea by ChaosRune. The original idea called for her to come to the Diggers home in the rain, but I thought it a bit cruel … and that it would be better to let Ranma be cruel instead. The song Britanny sings in the shower is "_Daydream Believer_" by the Monkees.


	17. Chapter 17

(Re-Posted January 11th 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

Once more, morning dawned on Atlanta and its suburbs.

The Diggers home was not a pretty sight, many early morning commuters decided, as they took in the charred holes in the building and the large craters in the ground and the mostly incinerated tree. No matter, they had recovered from such damage before, even worse than this much damage, actually … and they were no less disturbed when a black cat-man exited the house. He had already been there a few days, so they had gotten used to him quickly, due to their continuing exposure to that nice Diggers girl who had a similar condition … this one was either younger or just smaller, but they didn't really care as they waved friendlily at him as he passed.

Ranma Koki, though more uncomfortable in this form in public than when he was alone, waved back while realising that these people were about as desensitised to strangeness as the people of Nerima. Their acceptance of his hybrid form helped him accept himself for what he was, but even if he convinced himself that he didn't care, much like millions of others do every day, a tiny piece of him wanted acceptance. This tiny part was somewhat relieved at the acceptance of the people of the area. In Jade, there had been similar creatures to him wandering around without concealment, so he knew it would be okay to do the same … that, and he simply wasn't able to change until that solar eclipse …

Like the day before, Ranma was awed at the magnificence of the Diggers mansion.

At one side of the property, Ranma heard the telltale sounds of someone running through a kata. Looking at the wristwatch he had gotten the night before, he saw he still had a few minutes left before he had to be there, so he decided to see how good Mrs Diggers was.

As he got close enough to see, Ranma realised that Mrs Diggers was indeed one of the best … her warm-up kata was nearly on the master level kata, and if one warmed up at that level, one had better be good, or one could get seriously injured when moving on to the more straining stuff.

The woman went on to her proper kata, and Ranma could detect a strong base of Amazon Wu Shu in it. From how she moved he could tell she favoured a weapon, a light sword if his guess was right … not a good thing, but then, she seemed fairly skilled without a weapon as well … he could not wait until he had some free time so he could match his skill with hers … it was always good to test oneself against ones betters, and Ranma could, albeit begrudgingly, admit that this woman was his better. In a fair fight, he knew he would not have a chance of beating her without his techniques … however, _with_ the techniques … he'd still probably get beat, but much less so.

A digital chirrup from the watch told him he had better hurry, or he'd be late. He didn't want to know what sort of disciplinary methods his sensei had for tardy or disobedient students.

* * *

Ryoga and Akane were running for their lives.

They had sought shelter in a cave when it looked like rain and made it inside just as it began to pour. It was a deep cave, and after getting a little inside to check for wild animals, the form of a cavern changed into a hallway of smooth slabs of stone, with torches lighting it up.

They had stepped on a couple of green lumps on the floor that squeaked, and suddenly started spouting a long string of colourful Irish language. The two lumps had screamed something, and suddenly a tank had rounded a corner and started firing explosive shells at them while a machine gun mounted by the hatch started pealing off stone from the ground and walls, missing them with barely a hair's width.

This was the biggest reason the two were running. The second reason was that from the rumbling reverberating between volleys of shells and bullets, more of those things were coming. If _one_ of them was barely missing them, then how big a chance would they have in evading the onslaught of more?

"Ye be goin' no farther, boyos!" said a gruff voice ahead, causing Ryoga to slam on the brakes and causing Akane to slam into him.

"And girlos!" added an annoyed feminine voice.

Standing in front of the two was a bulky green metal man with a bowler hat and a shamrock sticking from it.

"Ye sure 'bout that?" asked another male voice inside the metal man. "She be very flat fer a girlo … an' her clothes be masculine too …"

"This is not the time to be arguin' 'bout a girlo bein' a tomboy!" argued the first voice gruffly.

"She not be a looker either," commented the second man.

"Focus, boyos!"

The metal man shifted with the whirring and clanking of machinery and got into an aggressive fighting stance. Ryoga wasn't about to fight a man made of metal, even if he was tough, so he performed a strategic retreat through a wall with a fuming Akane in tow. How dare they call her an uncute tomboy with a flat chest?

The metal man stood flummoxed for a moment before those controlling it realised what had happened.

"Ye not be getting' our pots o' gold!" finished the first voice. "Blazing Shillelagh!"

* * *

In the outskirts of Tokyo Japan, in the maximum security ward of the prison, it was about time for the nightly rounds right after lights out.

It had been an exemplary couple of days. The inmates had behaved, there had been no complaints about anything, nor had they gotten any new prisoners. The newer employees of the prison thought this as a good thing … the older and more experienced ones knew that it was the silence before the storm and were skittish.

This was also what made the following event so sad, as it was not an experienced guard that was walking the rounds near the solitary cells.

There was only one cell in solitary that was occupied, so that made the man's job that much easier.

The guard opened the peep-hole of the thick door of the isolation cell and peered in.

There was nothing inside.

Rubbing his eyes, the guard tried again, but came to the same result. There was no prisoner where one very _fat_ one _should_ have been.

Opening up the feeding hatch, to get a better view, in case the prisoner had hidden along the door, he still found nothing.

Normal procedure would most likely require the guard to sound the alarm, calling for back-up to help examine the cell and move out through the locked down prison, alarms blaring and flood lights helping the outer guards to search for any clues about where and how the prisoner had escaped.

Unfortunately, this was the guard's first break-out, so he did not have the drill down despite the training courses required for the job.

Opening the door, the guard could not see any signs of the normally fat and blubbering fool.

-Smack!-

Suddenly, the guard was punched in the face by fat air, sending him reeling back into the wall opposite to the cell and spraying a small amount of blood on the clean tiles.

Still somewhat conscious, the guard could feel himself getting undressed of his uniform, money, Identification and weapons, then thrown into the dark by the scruff of his t-shirt, knocking him unconscious on the inner wall.

* * *

At the Diggers mansion, Ranma was in deep concentration, as he had been for nearly an entire hour. Across from him was Dr Diggers, with a curious look on his face.

Ranma was being taught a very useful spe – _technique_, called Clairvoyance, one that he was finding very difficult to master or even get right. Something about persuading the chi of the air to give him a view of his chosen area was not working entirely to plan, yet.

The main reason Ranma was having trouble with it, was that Dr Diggers had told him that while he was using it, he was completely unaware of his immediate surroundings, leaving him completely defenceless. This would not do in Ranma's battle-calculator mind. So when he tried to make himself aware of his surroundings as well as seeing something happening far away, he couldn't get results.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," said the doctor in a parental tone, showing some sympathy for his situation. "Most of those who learn this technique take months before mastering it … I'm sure no one will think badly of you for it."

"I don't like being left vulnerable," growled Ranma, losing his concentration. "There's got to be a way around it!"

"There isn't," stated Dr Diggers. "Unless there were two of you, that is … but that- what are you doing?"

Dr Diggers had unknowingly given Ranma the answer he was looking for. Ranma tipped over a glass of water onto the ground, grinning so wide, it looked like his face might split in two.

"This," answered Ranma proudly, and shocked the doctor by there suddenly being two of him there, and no puddle of water.

One Ranma sat in the corner, while the other concentrated, his eyes suddenly started glowing golden. This was a sign that he was doing the Clairvoyance right.

"Wow," commented the Ranma with the glowing eyes. "Your wife is really beating the stuffing out of that heavy bag …"

Quelling his desire to ask about how he had done what he did, Dr Diggers composed himself. It wouldn't do to look like he wasn't in control as Ranma came out of the trance.

"Perhaps you should try focusing on something a little farther away?" he suggested calmly.

"Okay," agreed the Ranma with the formerly glowing eyes. The other one was surveying the room carefully.

Ranma's eyes flared up again, leaving him completely unable to see or hear anything from his surroundings.

"Hey, there's Gina!" exclaimed Ranma. Suddenly, he turned scarlet and snapped out of the vision.

Worried that something was the matter, Dr Diggers was immediately upon him. "What's wrong, Ranma?" he demanded. "Is it Gina?" he asked. Ranma blushed even more and nodded. "Is she in danger?" Ranma shook his head. "Is she fine?" this question only got Ranma to blush even more. "Tell me something, boy!" Ah, the joys of parenthood …

"So much skin …" muttered the still blushing Ranma.

Dr Diggers, being a man of the world, immediately understood what had gone on, or at least got the gist of it. As much as he'd like to utterly destroy the young man for peeping on his oldest daughter, he hadn't really been completely in control, and he certainly couldn't tell Gina he was watching to get her to keep her clothes on. Though taking a shower with ones clothes on was very cumbersome. Dr Diggers tried to reign in his anger which sprouted from his being an overprotective father and snapped out of the flaming skull he had gone into without meaning to.

"Try not to do that again," the man stated in a barely restrained growl. Ranma nodded quickly, his blush fading as he regained control of his emotions. "Now, try again, but _don't peek on my daughters_!"

Ranma quickly agreed to the terms and started concentrating again.

Before his eyes, a dark room manifested.

There was a little light streaming in past the curtains from the street, and a tiny strip of light from the hallway through the door.

The bed in the middle of the room was occupied by a slumbering female form … his mother, Nodoka.

She hadn't changed much in appearance over the time he had been away, but if the open wardrobe door was any indication, her style had changed quite a deal, from the conservative kimono to modern clothing.

Apart from that, the room was Spartan, only a bed and a bedside table, where an alarm clock, a lamp and a photograph were resting.

Turning his view somewhat, he could see the subject of the photograph … him. His mother had a picture of him facing her on the bedside table. It was one of the images of him going through a kata while wearing a singlet … one of Nabiki's numerous works.

It became too much and he snapped out of it.

"What did you see?" asked Dr Diggers, seeing the sad smile on Ranma's face.

"Mom," replied Ranma calmly. "She's asleep … she looked so peaceful, so normal … normally she looks so stern, so formal, but it all washed away in her sleep … like an innocent child …"

Dr Diggers paused for a moment to think of how his wife looked in her sleep.

"Even the most hardened warrior can look innocent in their sleep," he mused after a moment. "It is through sleep that we find peace … but sometimes the troubles of our lives haunt that last refuge …"

There was a moment of silence between the two, and the water clone in the corner.

"I think that is enough instruction for today," sighed Dr Diggers. "Why don't you just practice what you've learned, okay?"

"Yes, sensei," agreed Ranma.

* * *

It was starting to get late when Ranma finally returned to his current residence.

Outside the house, Ranma paused, and checked his watch.

He had one hour left until dinner … he could spare some time to run a few checks on his car's weapons systems. A menial task, yes, but it needed to be done now and again in order for the weapons to be fired safely without incident. Even if his weapons were resistant to water damage, any number of other things could go wrong … a disconnected wire … a block in the barrel … the bolts holding the cannons steady being locked or cracked from corrosion … it all had to be checked so they would not happen and would not prevent use of the cannons if he needed them.

It was while Ranma was leaning into his car that Ryan Tabbot arrived in his own car, which got less parking space because of the big car in the driveway … an unusual spot for Gina to park her cars, as she had an underground garage with the entrance hidden under the driveway. Thinking she must have her reasons … weapons tests or something like it taking place down there, he didn't really bother to think of it, as it was more than likely going to give him a headache.

When he came out of his cabriolet, he heard the sound of metal clinking against metal, a sure sign that someone was tinkering with something, and the only thing visible was the car in the driveway, which Ryan assumed was Gina's.

He was about to goose his girlfriend, whom he thought was the one tinkering, when he discovered the new guy, the mage, Ranma, leaning half his torso into the opened hood.

"Hey!" called Ryan and roughly pulled Ranma from the car by the scruff of his mage suit. "Don't mess with that! You'll end up breaking something you can't fix with your magic!"

"What are you babbling about?" asked an annoyed Ranma as he massaged the feeling back into his throat. He had been checking the connection between the right cannon and the battery when he had been forcibly ejected from his work. "Could you just step aside, I need to finish something …"

Ryan halted Ranma's attempted advance by holding his left shoulder. "You shouldn't mess with things you don't understand," he continued. "Now lay off before Gina sees you and gets angry!"

"Have you lost your mind?" asked Ranma. What little he had left of patience for the man was slowly eroding away. "Why would Gina get mad?"

"Because you're ruining her car, that's why!"

"_Her_ car? This is _my_ car!" argued Ranma. If that guy wasn't friends with Gina, he'd have laid him out for that stupid statement.

"Yeah, right," scoffed Ryan. This mage obviously thought too highly of his skills. "Like you could ever understand even a tenth of how the mechanics works in one of these things, much less how they work in real life … don't bite over more than you can chew, go back to travelling by foot, buggy or magic, this thing is too advanced for you."

Ranma stared at the man, who was among the more noted treasure hunters in the world, and a self-proclaimed master of fighting. How could someone with apparently so much brain be so stupid? Did he take lessons?

"Are you deaf as well as stupid," growled Ranma finally. "This is _my car_, I built it from scratch!" only the use of the Soul of Ice and the fact that he was Gina's friend kept Ranma from collapsing the man's skull in on itself along the form of his fist.

Fortunately, the budding fight was interrupted by Gina emerging from the house, having heard her name called loudly from the outside. Not being a scientist for her lack of curiosity, she had decided to find out what was going on.

When her eyes landed on Ryan, her eyes frosted over instantly.

Ranma had an idea of what could be the cause of this reaction, but was more concerned about Gina's mental and emotional wellbeing.

-Crack!-

Ranma returned to the present as Gina gave Ryan an unexplained slap, its sound reverberating down the streets, and stomped back inside, tears barely being repressed.

Ryan stared after the retreating woman for nearly a full minute even after she had entered the house, a glowing red mark on his face where the flat of her palm had struck, before snapping away back to reality.

Ranma watched the man think for a few seconds, no doubt trying to figure out what the cause was for her reaction.

Finally, Ryan snapped from his thoughts and glared at Ranma.

"This is all _your_ fault!" declared an angry Ryan. Gina was no doubt upset about him letting Ranma ruin her car. It was the only logical reason he could think of.

"Huh?" asked Ranma, wondering how people even across the world from Nerima managed to leap to such ridiculous conclusions. Maybe it had something to do with his pheromones … rivals for women and all that, even if Ranma wasn't actively after any woman that he knew of.

-Whiff!-

Ranma barely offered a thought to leaning his head to the side of the incoming fist, making it such a close call. Why did all of these idiots somehow find him? Was he also some kind of magnet for buffoons in addition to his other troubles?

Casually, he leaned back to avoid the follow-up uppercut, and went even lower when the man went into a roundhouse kick.

The follow-up sweeping kick was calmly back-flipped over without the use of hands, and seemingly with great ease.

As Ranma dodged the man's attacks, he came to the conclusion that this man, talented though he may be in absorbing techniques, was untrained in the basics of the martial arts he copied, and was therefore not as well versed as he might like to think. Anyone who had truly worked to get to the level Ryan was trying to fight at would be able to read their opponent's moves by noting the flexing of muscles and shifting of weight and calculating eyes trying to figure out where to hit next. It was a simple matter for Ranma, as he had been trained in the art since he could walk, though until his fifth year of life, that training was relatively tame, much like with normal martial arts schools as they teach their students the basics. A bag of tricks wouldn't go as far as skill, and tricks seemed to be what Ryan relied on mostly.

The more Ranma had fought in his life, the easier his opponents had gotten to read, as his speed in reading and reacting to those signs increased according to need … more specifically, his need to survive. He needed to learn fast in order to stay alive, unlike Ryan who hadn't had the same constant motivation as Ranma.

_Amateur_, was Ranma's concluding opinion on the man currently getting sloppier in his attacks due to anger clouding his senses. Maybe if Ryan continued, studying only the basics, he'd reach _his_ level in a couple of years, but he doubted the man had the dedication needed, so it would be longer … or he would injure himself doing something he wasn't supposed to and end up unable to perform the Art ever again … though if Gina had forgiven him by then, maybe he would recover with the help of her healing tank …

By this point, Ryan was coming to his own conclusion … the punk must be _cheating_ with magic … well, two can play _dirty_.

Leaping out of Ranma's reach, Ryan gathered his hands at his waist, held as though there was a ball between them, and started channelling chi into them.

Ranma realised what was going to happen … he was going to use an attack, one that looked like it could do a great deal of damage if left unchecked, which it seemed to be at the moment.

Not wanting to have the neighbours' houses destroyed in an attack meant for him, Ranma bent down quickly and snapped off a couple of blades of grass before sending them flying at the man.

Normally, throwing grass at someone is very stupid, as blades of grass are much too light and uncontrollable, losing momentum after not even a second after release and is scattered on any breeze that happens to come by.

Ranma, however, knew this, and used the only weapon he ever really allowed himself to use, his ki. With his ki, he strengthened the blades, and made sure their paths were accurate and had enough momentum behind them to achieve his desired task.

Ryan watched in fascination as several tiny glowing pins came flying at him, and hardly registered when the things impacted with and impaled his hands. The chi attack sputtered out of existence from his sudden lack of focus.

It took a moment or two before the pain registered.

"What the f#&?" asked Ryan through gritted teeth. It felt like having dozens of large splinters stuck through his palms, which was in fact a very accurate description, with the exception of these being blades of grass, not wood, though the difference isn't all that big with the exception of overall size, colour and density.

"Your reckless attack was about to take out at least one house behind me," stated Ranma in cool anger. "I prevented it from taking place with minimal damage."

Ryan growled angrily, and would have started another attack, if not for-

-Fwooo-BOOM!-

-the crater that suddenly erupted between the two from what looked like chi attack.

Tracing the attack back to its source, both males saw Beebee, standing on the doorstep.

This in and of itself was not so surprising, she had a tendency to find Ranma when he needed her, whether he knew it or not. What was shocking was that resting on her shoulders were two _big_ cannons, not unlike bigger versions of those installed on Ranma's car, and in her hand was a wicked-looking gun that had definitely been tampered with if the wires running in and out of it were any indication.

"Ryan Tabbot," stated Beebee seriously. "Your presence here is not wanted at this time, please vacate the premises before I am forced to use more than warning shots."

The grin that slowly spread across her face begged him for a reason to shoot first and ask questions later.

Having heard about the new body of the peebo named Beebee, through Penny Pincer who had heard it from Gina last night and informed him of the news this morning, and knowing Brianna well enough to know her creations would not bluff about something like this, Ryan grudgingly returned to his car, and with very gentle movements using only his fingers instead of palms, drove away. Maybe he should see a doctor to pull the blades out and make sure there was no infection …

After Ranma had made sure that the upstart had left, he turned to Beebee and raised a brow in question of her arsenal.

Beebee, accurately guessing what he was curious about stowed the canons away into a stuff space with no visible generator and toed the ground in front of her nervously.

"Ehm …" she stuttered. "I'm sorry I borrowed your weapon designs without permission …"

Ranma kept his stare, not changing his expression.

"It was very bad, but I did it because you may need my help some day, and after I changed body, I don't have any defence or attack mechanism … I had to have something to help you with …"

Ranma's expression softened a little, but it was enough to encourage Beebee to continue.

"I even made this gun based on your chi-tech designs, modifying it to fire small blasts of energy instead of bullets … the chamber is a chi battery that stores small amounts of chi to fire, but it will constantly recharge, so it won't run dry unless some of the wiring comes loose …"

Ranma nodded in understanding.

"So," he started sternly. "You were the one to abduct the missing chi-tech chip …"

Beebee nodded guiltily, bowing her head in shame.

"Am I right in guessing it now powers you instead of whatever Brianna normally uses?"

Again, Beebee nodded, and seemed to prepare herself for a proper scolding.

"Good," ended Ranma, surprising the former bit bomb. "I couldn't think of a better use for it than to power you, now you don't have to worry about recharging your batteries! However, I'm disappointed in you for not thinking I'd understand, and for taking it without permission."

"I'm sorry, Ranma," said a remorseful Beebee, though she was glad he approved of her assigned task for the chip. "It won't happen again, I promise!"

Ranma smiled and walked to her.

"I'm sure of it," he affirmed and patted her red hair.

With that done, he returned to his car and finished up before stowing it away again. Maybe it was time to stop playing the distraction game when he moved his car in or out of stuff space? Beebee had seen him do it while he was working on it in the labs, and she hadn't made a big deal out of it … but then, she had a way of knowing what not to tell others about him. The others may not have the same intuition …

* * *

Meanwhile in the holding cells of the Diggers home, two wererats were having an emergency council concerning their team leader.

"Like, she seems like she, y'know, likes it here," commented Moisha, not really sure of what to believe.

"She must have been brainwashed," argued Romeo. It was impossible for any wererat to enjoy the company of a werecat, especially that infernal werecheetah.

"But, like, she didn't seem like she was …"

"It must be the werecat …" mused Romeo. "He seems to be attracting more women than s#& does flies …" his eyes widened. "It must be this species' version of the Glare of Doom! The Stare of Lust! He's making her fall for him, and convinces her that she doesn't need us! The wererat clan will be in danger if he decides to have her tell him about it!"

"Like, oh my!" fussed Moisha. "Like, what do we do?"

"There's nothing we can do, yet," grumbled Romeo. "But, we _will_ escape, and we will have to go to Gothwrain about it … he needs to know the power this werecat possesses over wererats of the opposite sex!"

* * *

In the dining room, the entirety of the current household members of was gathered. It was dinner, made by Brianna. Or rather, since she could not manage much besides tuna, and not everyone were as enthused about the fish as the werecats and her, she had ordered a few pizzas from the nearest pizza place. Three fifths of the pizzas had tuna topping on them in varying amounts, but no anchovies, _never any anchovies_, _**yuck**_!

Britanny was slightly disappointed that the meal had not been entirely composed of tuna, and even more so when those slices with tuna vanished very quickly, making her settle for bacon and pineapple … sigh … if she had been the one that ordered, she would have gotten more tuna … maybe even _more pizza_ with tuna …

Stryyp knew of his wife's craving for tuna, and would have made it for her if it had been his turn to cook. He was instead keeping a slice or two from the others to give to her … at least she could have those.

Brianna was talking to Ranma about power sources and energy weaponry, and he only responded occasionally to input his ideas or opinion to her statements.

Madrid was trying to get the attention of Ranma by constantly drawing attention to her own breasts with semi-subtle hand gestures. The table was, fortunately or unfortunately, too wide for her to use her feet to attract attention, and Ranma was doing an admirable job of not looking at her.

Next to her, an unfortunate seating arrangement that came to be because the other seats were taken or ruined in the intrusion the previous night, sat Dao who was also ignoring her. After all, not many people remained on friendly terms with their former spouses, so why should he?

Genn was also avoiding looking at the well endowed Djinni, but for different reasons that she had yet to share with anyone.

Next to her, Seance was trying to figure out why Genn was acting so distant since they returned to Earth. He was genuinely concerned for her wellbeing, even if he was in love with Gina.

Beebee was sitting next to Ranma, enjoying being part of the proceedings. Not many people bothered to take note of what looked like an appliance sitting at the table, but in this new body, she was actually being included in the conversations taking place, _when_ they took place. She wasn't eating, because even if she was waterproof, she didn't want to test how well her systems would react to getting food into them.

Ranma was eating at a restrained pace. It was impolite to eat at his normal pace, and there wasn't anyone here that tried to steal food off his plate to worry about … apart from Britanny who tried to sneak one or two of his tuna slices … He was also reviewing his lesson for the day, and trying to figure out what leaps of sense that got Ryan to think _he_ was the reason Gina was angry.

Gina was glaring at her plate, but the sparkling eyes were a testament to the unshed tears she was holding back.

Nabiki was very silent, and barely touching her food. This was understandable, as within the last twenty-four hours she had entered a foreign country, seen the previous stupid jock manage to outwit her on her two biggest platforms for getting his money from him, seen destruction beyond a fight between Ranma, Happosai and Taro treated like it was a daily occurrence, seen a werecheetah, which she hadn't known existed before, been told and shown that Ranma was a werecat as well, and of a species that hadn't existed before (she had asked if his bite would infect her with it as well, but apparently, they didn't know), she had been told that Lydia was a wererat and Beebe a robot with not only an artificial intelligence but a serious crush on Ranma. She had seen Britanny Diggers 'Gia's husband, Stryyp, and been told that not only is there life outside this planet, but it is more than capable of destroying Earth if given the chance or motive, though they had yet to be given one. Then she had been introduced to the two resident Djinni, Dao and Madrid, who did not fulfil wishes, much to her disappointment, and a shape-shifter named Genn. Finally there had been the "Apprentice Mage", Seance … a muscular fellow with a similar strange suit to the one Ranma wore with his pants. Ranma had given her a red suit that looked like it, but she didn't think she'd ever get a chance to wear it … she thought it looked too revealing, not to mention it looked too big for her, so Ranma had insulted her in thinking her fat. Ranma's explanation that the suits would fit perfectly once worn was not bought … despite the information she had been given about events and residents of the house. The abacus was a good gag gift, something she would never have pegged Ranma for being capable of thinking of, but useful for those times when the power was out and she didn't have a calculator handy.

What more, the level of technology in this house alone could easily rival several science fiction series she had seen over the years. There was Beebee, who looked _very_ lifelike, and then there were the hurtbots Gina had brought out to secure the two prisoners, and finally the Super Construction Votoms that had repaired the damage on and around the property during the day. Even on some of the more advanced science fiction shows there was no trace of robots that could do the things these could do … this would have been a regular gold mine if Ranma hadn't noticed her expression and forbid her, on pain of poverty, injury and blackballing, to mention the things that existed or went on in this house or the houses of the friends and family of the Diggers.

To top it off, this morning when she had awoken from a nightmare, involving herself being sold as a slave to Kuno by her father to make ends meet, and was headed for the kitchen she saw Beebee "sleeping" outside Ranma's room, curled up like a kitten or puppy, just to the side of the door so she wouldn't prevent it from opening, nor get hit by it, but close enough to notice if it opened.

She had used to think she had seen it all where Ranma was concerned, but this was well beyond anything she could think up. Nabiki started considering whether to risk handling Ranma's money or not, if this was the kind of messes he ended up in now. He did mention that he had other candidates for the job, one of which was a walking calculator in the sense of being a robot, and would never forget anything. But the money had too tight a hold on her, and she was not about to let it all go away.

Then there was his new sensei … she had not met the man, but from what she understood, he wasn't very physical in his fighting style, relying more on energy attacks and manipulation than his body. Nabiki wondered if that was the definition of a wizard or something, but didn't really want to think of it. Ranma hadn't gone into detail about his lesson with the man, but she was very much reminded about two fictional characters from two different backgrounds. One was a powerful telepath, running a school for children with special gifts. The other was part of an Order dedicated to keeping the peace in an entire galaxy. She had jokingly suggested Ranma start making a sword that looked like a slim flashlight when turned off, but made a four foot long solid beam of light that could cut through metal like butter … Ranma actually seemed to consider it, and hinted to Gina having made something similar with stunning purposes instead of lethal.

This social gathering was interrupted by the phone ringing.

Beebee, being the only one not eating anything, got up and went to answer it.

What conversation was going on quietened down some, as everyone were curious about who would call at this hour, and what about.

After a moment, Beebe entered, with a serious look on her face.

"Ranma," she started. "It's for you … your mother said it was very important."

Ranma wiped his hands and mouth on a napkin and got up quickly. He silently hoped his mother wasn't at the airport as well. He had enough woman troubles on his own without her coming over and adding to them by pushing him to have kids so she could become a grandmother.

As he was about to pick up the receiver, he got an idea for training the new technique he had learned, and after creating his version of a Shadow Clone, initiated the Clairvoyance technique, and was surprised to the normally composed Nodoka with such a frantic expression.

"Mom, what's wrong?" he asked immediately. Better to cut right to the chase.

" It's your father, " she admitted, surprised that he could tell something was wrong when all she had said to that nice woman, Beebee, was that it was important.

"What's the old fool done now?" sighed Ranma. That man could cause trouble no matter what he did.

" He's escaped from the prison! " cried Nodoka, losing her composure more than she already had.

"Really?" asked Ranma in yet another sigh. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he thought of the possible escape routes Genma would take from prison, and the possible places he would hide. "When?"

" Sometime during the night, " said Nodoka. " They were going their rounds when the new guy discovered he was gone, he opened the door and was attacked by air and flung half naked into the solitary cell where his fellow guards found him this morning … the man fell into a coma from blunt trauma to the head only an hour after being found. "

"So he was missing for hours before it was discovered by the rest … great, just great …" the sarcasm was thick in his last comment, and even Nodoka could hear it. "Have they gotten any clues about where he's gone?"

" The guard's security cards were used for him to leave, and half an hour later, a nearby shopping centre was robbed of several items, " explained Nodoka.

"Let me guess … A big backpack, a few jugs of sake, a tent, food enough to feed a herd of elephants for a week, a set of martial arts gi, and finally, money … am I right?"

" Yes, for the most part, he also stole the phonebook from one of the telephone booths, " added Nodoka.

"That must mean he's looking for someone in the area," stated Ranma, very well aware of having stated the obvious. "Very likely you, to get you to take the fall for his crimes or persuade the law that he's innocent by waving your sword around … he'll probably flee the country if that doesn't work … the man's leaps of logic never cease to amaze me … if he had known I was still alive, he'd have sought me out to lay blame on me … he never could take the consequences of his actions …" Ranma sighed and thought of the situation for a moment. He was probably one of the few able to find the man, and Genma needed to be brought back to justice. "Give me your address, and I'll get to you as soon as I can… just try and keep Kasumi out so she doesn't get hurt …"

Ranma could see relief and worry etched on his mother's face as he made his statement. The address was given rather quickly, and Ranma made a note of it.

"Don't worry, I'll be there soon," he added. "Good bye, mom … 'love you."

This last part was added because it felt like the right situation for it, and he couldn't remember the last time he had told her this.

" I love you too, son, " replied Nodoka in a slightly soothed voice. " Be safe. "

"I will, 'bye!"

Hanging up the phone, Ranma snapped out of the Clairvoyance technique, and dispelled the clone before returning to the dining room. Everyone in it pretended they had been talking and stopped to hear what he had to say.

"Something has happened back home," he started bluntly. "And I need to go back and fix it as quickly as possible. Nabiki, it looks like your vacation just got cut short."

There was a moment of silence as this information was absorbed. Nabiki didn't really want to return so quickly, but she didn't really know these people, and the thought of staying with them while Ranma was away for an undetermined period did not sit right with her.

"I'm coming with you!" firmly stated Beebee, making it clear that she was not about to be argued with.

"Me too!" chirped Lydia. Though she felt she should remain and watch over her former team mates, this was an opportunity she was not about to miss out on.

Brianna was kicking herself for already having promised Britanny that she'd come on the fishing trip. She'd have loved to come, but Britanny had a certain way of making her do as she promised … and there would be fish! Besides, it's not as if Beebee had much of a chance of winning Ranma, not with a chest like that, and the robot would make sure Lydia didn't get too far in her advances … maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all …

Gina was also slightly disappointed. Her expedition started the day after next, and she couldn't postpone it … it would cost too much, and it was mostly Penny who was paying. Postponing the expedition to go off on a long weekend with some guy was not a good enough reason to even her, so there was no way she could make Penny believe it was.

Madrid looked like she would also chirp in her participation in this expedition, but a cold glare from Ranma made her shut up.

"Gina, Britanny, Stryyp, Brianna, I thank you for your hospitality," stated Ranma formally with a small bow. " Nabiki, Lydia, Beebee, please hurry in packing what you wish to bring, because I don't know how long we'll be gone and time is of the essence. I need to call Sensei and discuss how our lessons will continue."

* * *

Author's Notes; Yet another chapter reread and corrected … as I'm sure you, he readers, are getting tired of hearing, the changes were mostly cosmetic … filling in missing letters or correcting wrong ones.

I'd like to again ask my readers to please review me about specific plot holes, spelling errors, grammar errors etc, so that I can fix it for when I eventually replace every chapter later on. I will address the problems as soon as I get them in, so that it will be easier to correct them in my text file which I will then use to replace the chapters when the story is complete. And if you do review me about errors of any kind, please give me some reference words around the problem so that I can trace it down quicker.

Credits; Ryoga and Akane ending up in the Castle of Shoes and getting chased around by leprechauns while they ridiculed Akane's form and femininity was the brainchild of TerraBull. The scene where Ranma tinkers with his car and Ryan comes along, thinking it was one of Gina's was based on the idea of Shakeval. I had originally planned on having Ranma quote the common expression "Flower Power" after having speared Ryan's hands with the blades of grass, but decided it was too corny for the situation, even if most Ranma situations can seem corny on their own. The grass being thrown through Ryan's hands was inspired by the sparring match between Arms-Master Julia and Ranma in "_Smoke & Wind_" by Philip Weigel. The "Lightsaber" idea was also based on a suggestion by Shakeval. The expression "fat air" was borrowed from a Simpson episode, used by one of the "lovely" sisters of Marge in reference to Homer.


	18. Chapter 18

(Re-Posted January 11th 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

Just off the coast of Japan, something very unusual was taking place.

The crashing waves roared in defiance of the cliffs, rocks and boulders of the shore, but that was not out of place, as this had been going on since the dawn of time. The seagulls were shrieking and crying while flying over the water, occasionally swooping down to pick up some piece of something to eat. This was also very normal.

What was unnatural was that a car was headed for shore, just barely staying above water, its wheels were horizontal instead of vertical. A glowing white strip was barely visible in the reflections of the ocean as the car passed over it, and behind this car was a trail of water that had been stirred twenty feet into the air in its wake as a result of displaced air and speed.

Now, a car in this area was not all that unusual, as people came here to picnics or swim or even for fishing at nearly all the times of the year, but a flying one that was travelling at speeds above that of sound from the ocean instead of land was very strange.

This car was also strange in its design, being large and bulky, but still had a sleek design, and on its hood was painted the silver outline of a black paw. This was Ranma's car. But it wasn't Ranma that was piloting it at the moment.

The owner and builder of the car was sitting in the front seat, tinkering with what looked like a foot-long slim metal flashlight. Parts would float around him in the air for a little while until he needed them, and then they would float to their place and wait until he used the claw of his index finger combined with ki as a soldering iron or blow torch to attach or detach them.

This was Ranma's latest project, based on two things, one being Nabiki's half-serious suggestion, the other was the plans Gina had for her own stunner.

Beebee was in the driver's seat, having gotten the job as pilot because she wouldn't get tired so Ranma could rest. That, and Ranma didn't feel right endangering all of their lives piloting something in the air when he hadn't tried it before … he needed lessons or at least some simulator hours before he dared fly his own car. Beebee, as a machine, had a natural feel for these things, mostly because Brianna included something like simulator experiences in the programming of this special machine, but for what purpose, remained a mystery.

Ranma, on the other hand, had decided to use a meditation technique to catch up on his rest, cutting down his nap time to barely half an hour. It was not recommended to use the technique very often, the monk that had taught it to him had been very clear on that account, because the body still needed actual rest, so he had only used it once or twice before. But the project was so tempting, so he used the time to tinker with it. If there was one thing he didn't like, it was unfinished ideas, and he didn't want to put everything down on paper so he could do them later, because that was a sure way of making sure you'd never find the time for it. There'd always be things that became more important, and he didn't like that idea … so he took what time he had and did the project. He could worry about making blueprints later.

"We can see land now, Ranma," whispered Beebee.

The reason for her whispering was the sleeping passengers in the back seats. Nabiki was behind Ranma and Lydia behind Beebee, both leaning against the sides of the car while snoring lightly.

Ranma was glad neither of them drooled … he didn't like cleaning up after people. Maybe this was how Kasumi felt …

Looking up from his work, Ranma saw the rocky shore, where the spray from crashing waves stood several feet into the air before falling to the power of gravity. He was back in his native land.

The car tilted up a bit as Beebee avoided the rock cliffs along the ocean, missing them by barely a foot before continuing along the ground.

The reason for this low altitude was very simple. They didn't want to get detected by radar. Sure, there was satellite, but they needed to have a location set in to be able to track them, and at best those things needed twenty minutes to manoeuvre into the right position to see anything, along with the permission from the head of state and an alert to neighbouring nations to prevent them from thinking they were spying on them with this shift in position. By that time, the car would be long gone, but there was no need to test the theory.

Ranma had Beebee do the same thing over American soil, so no one would think they were a UFO and send a squadron of fighter planes after them. It had worked so far, and when they reached the city limits of Tokyo, the plan was to touch down and drive.

Gina would have used the Light Gate to transport them to Japan, but she had realised that she didn't trust it as much as before, as it had started malfunctioning, depositing her off target, and sighed in resignation before telling them that she'd expect to be contacted as soon as possible and as often as possible.

Dr Diggers could have teleported them there, but Ranma didn't like the idea much … it seemed like a waste of energy to teleport five people, then have one teleport back since he had no need for being there.

No matter, it was good to be back.

* * *

Nodoka was pacing her apartment.

As soon as Kasumi had returned from classes, Nodoka had informed her of the situation, and Kasumi had offered to spend a few days with a couple of friends from school. Apparently, they had asked for the last few days to have a "slumber party", but Kasumi knew it was only an excuse to stay up all night and party before returning to the home of one of the others and sleep off any alcohol. The two others would be there to make sure their friends didn't end up doing anything they would regret. Kasumi had not taken the offer because she was worried that Auntie Nodoka would be lonely … but now she could go and let her hair down … maybe she could meet Ranma again soon, when this incident was over and done with.

She had only brought her books and a few changes of clothing before leaving, and telling Auntie Nodoka to give Ranma and her sister a big hug from her.

Nodoka was worried about her son. He had not said which flight he would be on, nor when he would get there, so she could not head to the airport to greet him. Added to that, she didn't know if Genma would show up when she was gone, so she stayed put. But to let out her inner turmoil, the woman paced the living room, casting worried glances at the phone, willing it to ring with her son on the other end, telling her that he was on his way.

It had been getting late in America when she called, maybe he decided to go to sleep before heading out … that made sense, he'd need to be rested for the flight and travel to the apartment. And he was bringing Nabiki back as well, and she had nowhere near his constitution, so she'd slow him down a bit at least.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a firm knock on the door.

Was that Genma? Had he found her already? What would she do if that was the case? No, no, Genma wouldn't knock … he'd sneak in the window or break down the door.

After a moment of distress and indecision, Nodoka firmed her resolve and went to the door.

Unfortunately, this apartment had no peephole in the door, so she had to place the chain on the door and open it carefully to peer into the hallway.

At first she saw nothing but the hallway, which made her nervous … but then something black moved into view.

Wearing what looked like a tight black turtleneck sweater that could have been painted on, loose black pants and sturdy black boots, was none other than her son, with a haircut and pointed ears.

Ranma had barely gotten time to greet his mother through the cracked open door before it was torn open and a hundred and fifteen pounds of emotional mother spilled out and wrapped around him, squeezing out the life she had given him while sobbing happily about having him back.

The three women accompanying Ranma were moved, quite literally as well as figuratively, as the unbalanced Ranma tried to regain his footing, and stumbled around with his arms flailing wildly.

After a little while, Nabiki sighed and with the help of Beebee, managed to manoeuvre mother and son inside the apartment before the neighbours would start asking questions.

* * *

It took a while to manage prying the near-hysteric mother from her son, but she was eventually removed from his person, much to the relief of Ranma's lungs. Emotional mothers had a tendency of growing stronger than they normally should be able to … maybe select emotions release some of the blocks the brain erects to keep the body from harming itself … normally only about ten to fifteen percent of one's potential was used, due to those blocks … he should look into this later …

Now for the part he didn't look forward to.

"Mom, there's something I didn't tell you over the phone," he started seriously. How did you tell your parents that you weren't human anymore?

"I'm going to be a grandmother?" she asked hopefully, while sizing the women up to see which one it might be.

"NO!" exclaimed Ranma, feeling a need to make this very clear. After all, he didn't need to have the women in his life even more active in their pursuit of him than they already were, and a baby was most definitely one thing that would increase that … he'd probably be in front of the alter or priest within moments of finding it out.

Nodoka slumped slightly at this news, but motioned for Ranma to continue with his speech.

"I'm not exactly human anymore …" blurted Ranma, unsure how she'd react. Behind him, Nabiki slapped her palm across her face, feeling ashamed on his behalf for the stupid presentation he had just made. What kind of idiot just blurted out something like that to their mother?

"Are you shikima?" asked Nodoka, stars twinkling in her eyes. Oh, how many grandbabies she'd get!

"Kami! NO!" exclaimed Ranma again. "I'm a werecreature!" Once more, Nabiki slapped herself. How blunt could one get? She slapped herself a third time when Ranma transformed right in front of Auntie Nodoka without warning … how stupid could geniuses get? What did he expect? That she'd accept him without question?

"Wai!" screamed Nodoka, and Ranma once more found himself wondering if his mother was part octopus with her ability to cling to him.

Nabiki felt like slamming her face into the wall or floor. They truly were family … it had to be a family trait …

After another few minutes, the women managed to pull the mother from her son again.

"What kind of werecreature are you," asked Nodoka finally, nearly bouncing in her seat. The supernatural had been very fascinating to her for most of her life, and now her son was a member of one of the more feared ones in Northern European and some Native American Mythology. He was feline in appearance, shorter and slimmer, but she couldn't be certain … appearances could be deceiving.

"Weredinictis," supplied Beebee. "The only one of his kind."

Pride was not an adequate description of the look in Nodoka's eyes as she looked upon her furred son.

"That means he _has_ to give me many, _many_ grandbabies!" squealed the elder woman and once more attached herself to her son. "The species _will live on_!" she turned to the two women that Ranma brought apart from Nabiki. "Have either of you considered being the mother of those babies?" she asked bluntly, as though she was conducting business. Of course, where grandbabies were concerned, she could be serious enough to make a heart attack seem like fun in comparison.

Both Lydia and Beebee blushed a deep red, which was more than enough of an answer to the question.

Ranma didn't really have the heart to tell his ecstatic mother that Beebee wasn't human, or even completely biological, how much of her was biological Ranma didn't know and didn't think it polite to ask, and thus had no reproductive abilities … it would put a damper on his mother's mood. But he still needed to bring her down to Earth.

"Any more news about pops?" he asked seriously, incidentally derailing his mother from the grandbaby train of thought.

"Nothing so far," admitted Nodoka. "But I'm getting nervous … the longer he takes, the more worried I get."

"I wouldn't worry too much," shrugged Ranma confidently. "If he hasn't found you yet, the phonebook might not have been updated and he has to find you through other means … besides, you have me to protect you."

This statement was somewhat of a comfort, but not a whole lot.

"What _does_ make me worry is that there has been no trace of him since the robbery," finished Ranma. "If he's left the country … he'll be a lot more difficult to track down and return to justice."

"Yes," agreed Nodoka. She did feel safer now that her son was there. A silent moment caused her to once more look around. "Well, how about a round of introductions, then we can discuss the _sleeping arrangements_!" Heh, did Ranma really think she'd lose track of what was important for longer than a moment? Not a chance, she'd make sure she was a grandmother within the year!

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Minato ward, Hyuta Akane, male teller at the bank, was being bothered.

In front of him stood what had to be the worst female impersonator in the history of cross-dressing.

"Would you please repeat that, _ma'am_," he intoned, putting a sarcastic emphasis on the title. The man in front of him obviously didn't notice it, as he went on with his charade.

"My name is Koki Nodoka," said the man in what was supposed to pass for a woman's voice … it was not even close, too much subdued bass and scratchy tones, not even smoking women had that voice. "And I'd like to withdraw all the money from my son's account."

This teller may not be among the smartest, but he knew there was something familiar about the man in front of him. He had seen the real Nodoka only a couple of days ago when she had stopped by to pay back the small amount of money she had borrowed from the account, and this certainly was not her, even if she had allergies that caused her to swell up and was beaten with an ugly-stick. The man in front of him hadn't even thought about his weight or the possibility that he might be recognised as male … especially with that stubble on his cheeks and neck… he should really demand identification on the spot, but decided that finesse was required unless he wanted a scene with a possibly violent outcome.

"Certainly, ma'am," he said in a dull tone, "let me just check to see if we have enough money in our vault to fill your request."

The cross-dressing man bought the act and stood patiently in his kimono and red wig.

Mr Hyuta made his way to the back, where the bulletin board was, and quickly browsed through the images of wanted criminals that the police had been so kind as to hand out in case they were stupid enough to go out in the open and enter the bank.

Finding only a few that nearly matched the description, he was less than satisfied, until he saw the image of a fat face with glasses and no hair.

This looked very much like the customer he had at his window, however … taking a red marker, he defaced the image by drawing on red hair on it, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that this was indeed whom he had thought … one of the country's most wanted and dangerous criminals.

Not being one for heroics, Mr Hyuta triggered the nearest silent robbery alarm and returned to his window, well knowing that the police would be there within minutes.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Ms Koki, but it will take a few more minutes to put together such a large order in cash," he said politely, trying not to reveal that he knew the disguise was not real. "Perhaps a cup of tea while you wait?"

It is a well known fact that banks treat their big customers very well, bordering on offering their employees to the services of that customer if it so pleases them … however, this is not really the case if said customer was trying to _remove_ the money from their account, especially not in such large amounts. After all, a bank without money was like an ocean without water … useless. This is why they usually try their best to convince their customers to keep their money in the bank … this Saotome Genma did not know this from the way he relaxed under the poor guise of Koki Nodoka and was not suspicious of the sudden politeness.

"If you have sake, I'd appreciate that," said the man, still trying to sound feminine. In so doing, he added a snicker at the end and covered his mouth with his hand.

"Of course," said Mr Hyuta. "I'll be right back."

Genma barely managed to keep his grin and chuckle in check. The fool teller was buying it. In only a matter of minutes, he'd be rich! He was free and would have money! His retirement was assured!

Unfortunately, the security guard on duty, one Uzami Taka, was informed about the silent alarm over his radio, and was the foolhardy type that acted before he thought things over. Said guard jumped to his feet from where he had been sitting by the door.

"All right!" he bellowed. "Everyone remain calm! There is a robbery in progress, do not try to do anything! Would the robber please step away from the counter and get on their knees, or I'll have to use force!"

As he said this, a can of mace was produced from his pocket, and a tazer from his belt started crackling with power.

There was a sound of glass breaking, and suddenly the bank had air-conditioning through where its glass door was. A silk bundle of cloth that was a kimono lay before one of the windows.

Not far away, sirens could be heard approaching.

Mr Hyuta saw his hard work vanish because of the impatient tendencies of the security guard, and could not restrain himself in screaming "Taka no baka!"

* * *

In Atlanta, Georgia, Dr Theodore Diggers had awoken early from a nightmare, something he rarely ever got and those he did get were normally about himself falling onto the same path his father did … by becoming a Lich and kill most of his family, or try to. It was truly a gruesome vision, but this time, the nightmare was different. This one was about him holding another lesson for Ranma, but somehow, Ranma knew all the answers, and knew more spells and magic than he did … making him feel like he was of no good. And worst of all, it seemed like the Ranma in his dream was unaware of being superior to him, merely assuming that his sensei was playing with him.

He had sat up abruptly with a gasp as he roused from the disturbing vision.

"Huh?" yawned a sleepy Julia next to him, having sensed the disturbance of the mattress. "What's wrong, Theo?"

"Nothing of importance, dear," he breathed, slowly calming down.

"Another nightmare, huh?" summed up Julia. Her husband could be so stubborn about admitting some things. "What was it this time? The Lich King dream, or the more recent one? The one where you whimper about being nothing?"

Dr Diggers growled in annoyance that he hadn't managed to sneak that one by her unnoticed.

"That one," she confirmed to herself. "How could you think you're nothing?"

"I don't know …" sighed the Archmage in resignation. Once women started down the path of emotional openness, the only thing to do, apart from fighting over it, was to give in. The last option was the safer one. "I just realised that I'm not as good as I thought I was …"

"Ranma," concluded Julia. "He's progressing so fast in his training, and you fear you'll not have anything to teach him soon. That he will look down on you like he does his father."

"It's that obvious, is it?"

"Of course it is!" laughed Julia. "It's one of the reasons most students shouldn't be as fast in learning as Ranma is … the masters would feel inferior and insecure of themselves and their own hard-earned skills. Ranma is a special case, he has a gift for learning, provided he finds the teachings interesting. And the only teacher Ranma truly disliked was his father, if you didn't leave out anything from what he told you … with good reason, I might add … if I ever meet that man, I'll probably make a pretzel out of him, cut little holes all over him, and spread salt in his wounds … For starters."

Cringing at his wife's sudden maniacal look, Dr Diggers couldn't help but feel more grateful for her support. He didn't know, nor did he want to find out, how he would have gotten along if he hadn't interrupted her fight at the tournament when he first saw her … she'd probably never have noticed him, and they'd probably never would have married or gotten such wonderful children … the thought was simply too unbearable.

"So, how will your lessons progress now that Ranma has gone?" asked Julia, rousing Dr Diggers from his thoughts.

"Oh," he said, clearing his throat. "He will call when it is a good time to start, and I'll teleport in, show him how the new spells are done a couple of times, then leave for the rest of the day. I'll check on his progress the next day … if he has gotten the spell, I'll move on to another, if he hasn't, I'll try and clarify where he went wrong, and give him the day to try again, then repeat until the spell is mastered."

Sensing some residual doubt of his own abilities, Julia gave her husband a hug and intentionally let the covers drop from her chest.

"There's a good boy," she purred. "Let's not worry about this anymore, and have some fun until it's time to get up … hmmm? I could do with some _endurance_ training …"

Oh boy! Was all Dr Diggers could think before his wife bowled him over with a playful shriek.

* * *

Outside the Washington Memorial Library of Macon, Georgia, an Amazon hunting party was waiting for their leader in this realm. It was early morning, before the working hours, but they had managed to gain access through an open window.

Well, _open_ is such a broad term … _not sufficiently secured_ would be the more accurate term.

The window opened again, and out came Cologne, two sheets of paper rolled up under her arm, while her staff was held in the other. She was grumbling about uppity young hoodlums who mocked their elders' for not being able to keep up with modern technology that was changing faster than one could change socks.

After her came one of the less skilled warriors, who had actually been out in the world before joining this mission. Her head sported a large bump, which was throbbing with pain. She was internally grumbling about temperamental, senile elders and their canes.

"Pay attention," barked Cologne. Rotten kids. "There are two registered Dr Diggers in this state … I have obtained a map with directions to both of them … luckily, they live within close proximity to one another. Hopefully, Archmage Diggers does not have a false name which he lives by in this realm.

"We will not split into groups, because half of us have never been in this realm and most of the other half hasn't been outside China … you'd get lost, so we will stay together and thus present a bigger threat if they do not wish to share with us the location of my wayward and elusive son-in-law."

* * *

Author's Notes; I have to admit, I am somewhat ashamed of myself … I actually tried to make Genma cover his mouth with his mouth … not very good of me, but it has been corrected. The rest of the changes were luckily not as severe and can be categorised as cosmetic.

Credits; The Bank robbery scene was inspired by Gelionlegends who pointed out that Genma could try to make Nodoka empty their son's account for his use. The scene just popped into my head, along with the image of Genma impersonating that old lady that had snapped Ranma from the Neko-Ken the first time, and his Ranma disguise for Nodoka. Those disguises were even worse than Ranma's disguises to fool Ryoga. The scene just came rushing after that.


	19. Chapter 19

(Re-Posted January 11th 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

It was the middle of the night in Japan when Ranma awoke from a pain in the abdomen.

Upon opening her eyes, Ranma discovered that she had changed into female form for some reason. A second throb of the dull pain told her why. It was her _time_. In all the confusion of the past weeks, she had not kept track of the cycle … Of all the things this body had to do, changing because of a feminine condition was ranking among the top five annoyances, right below the uncomfortable stiffness she would experience in male form when she got too much feminine attention and the uncomfortable wetness when the same happened in female form … she briefly praised her lucky star that she didn't react to male attention.

It also appeared that her female body was angry with her for not spending sufficient time in it over the past few weeks. The pain was normally not so strong … but then, it was the first since the transformation had taken place … and it was said that the first time is always the more painful one. Maybe the same held true when one got a new body …

Regardless, she would just have to do something about it in the morning as she didn't much want to get up yet ... she felt tired and only after accidentally leaving the Tendo home did she appreciate the act of sloth to a modest degree such as lounging in a comfortable and warm spot … maybe it was the cat in her …

She turned over on the couch and faced the back, incidentally blocking out some of the light coming in through the windows from the street.

The reason she was on the couch, and not in any bedroom, was that though Nodoka was obsessed about grandbabies, that kind of act had to take place in the privacy of his room, not her apartment … the neighbours were already complaining about her being too loud on the telephone, actually having _sex_ in the apartment would likely make more noise and thus equally increase the number of complaints.

So, to prevent the complaints that could lead to her eviction, Nodoka assigned Nabiki to her sister's room, and had Ranma's two companions share Nabiki's … they could compete for the bed and the other would take the futon. Ranma had then been assigned to the sofa.

Of course, the apartment didn't really have _three_ bedrooms, but one of the storage spaces in it … some may have called it a big cupboard, had been made into a bedroom … Kasumi had volunteered to taking this room, and replaced the door with a curtain for privacy, as the ventilation was not sufficient if there was a door, which would lead to … _odours_. But this posed no problem for Kasumi, who was a very tidy and soft-spoken person by nature, and she was satisfied with what she got.

Ranma was just about to drift off again when she heard a sound … a footstep.

Not wanting to tip her hand just yet, Ranma lay silently in wait for the intruder to show themselves, and then determine what level of threat they were.

She was surprised when Beebee tiptoed in with the blanket she had been given, and curled up at Ranma's feet on the couch, using her calves for neck support.

Ranma was about to sit up and ask what she was doing when another set of feet approached in a more stealthy manner.

Lydia suddenly came into view, and she too brought a blanket.

The wererat paused at seeing Ranma's gender, but having been informed of it already, dismissed it and made herself comfortable next to her, incidentally spooning against Ranma's back and adding her calves to Beebee's comfort.

As it was still the middle of the night, Ranma decided this too could wait until morning … after all, they wouldn't be able to do anything to her like this, right?

With this mindset, she soon drifted off … the dull ache in her belly forgotten for the moment.

* * *

In the morning, Ranma woke to a strange, and normally exciting to most people with a male thought process, sensation … that of being sandwiched between two well shaped women.

Apparently Beebee had crawled up from her original position during the night.

Ranma had not gotten over her skittish feelings around females that showed emotions towards her, and did the only thing she could think of that did not involve waking them.

-Poof!-

Stuck between the two women was now a very large cushion, which used to be the single back support of the couch in its regular state. Ranma herself was standing besides the couch, letting the mage suit return into existence on her. It was one of the few good things about the suit, its response to will.

The technique she had just used was a ninja trick she had learned from Konatsu and seen in a couple of ninja-based manga … the body replacement technique, which required that she replace herself with something or someone else. It was barely noticeable until it was done even to professionals, and Ranma was nothing if not professional … she had just not yet gotten to apply it to battle … well, there had been Herb, but that was more of a competition for the kettle that would unlock them from their cursed forms … and she had used it with Saffron as a decoy for Akane in her doll state, wrapping her shirt around a stick and throwing it away …

Maybe she should seek the dragon-descendant out and ask for another spar …

Oh, well, she'd get a chance sooner or later.

"Aw," she heard behind her. Startled, Ranma turned around to find her mother with a video camera. "You didn't let them wake up first … I would have loved to see their reactions when they realised I caught them in the act of trying to seduce you …"

"They were what?" asked Ranma in shock. "But I'm in my female body!"

"Son- … _daughter_," said Nodoka lovingly. "If you truly love someone, their looks do not really matter … apparently, these two are willing to be with you even in this form … speaking of which, why _are_ you in this form?"

"That time of the month …" grunted Ranma. "Changed without noticing, and can't change back." Pausing for a moment, Ranma looked at the video camera then she looked her mother in the eyes. "What did you …" her eyes widened in realisation and she whipped her head to the two forms on the sofa. "You _didn't_!"

Nodoka held up the video camera with a satisfied grin.

"Of course I did," she chirped. "I had to capture the first time my child shares her bed with someone willingly!"

"But-!"

"It is a parent's duty to embarrass their offspring with stunts like this," declared Nodoka solemnly. "I haven't been around much, but that just means I have to catch up for it now that I am! Now, do you think ten picture cards are too many to have developed at once?" she added and held up a small box that made noise when it was shaken. The digital camera resting on the table next to her and the video camera told Ranma that her mother had been busy … and disturbingly silent at that … she hadn't noticed her at all, nor had she heard the beep that those digital things give off when they start up, snap pictures or shut down.

Not wanting to get into an argument that was likely to wake the two on the sofa, though why Beebee hadn't noticed yet was curious, Ranma waved off the issue and informed her mother that she was going to the roof to train a bit.

Halfway to the door, she remembered a certain aspect of menstruation … the bleeding. It would not do to start bleeding when there was nothing to prevent it from leaking … with this firmly in mind, she did the most embarrassing thing she had ever done … she asked her mother if she could borrow a tampon.

* * *

After a rigorous workout, which was relatively private due to the height of the roof, Ranma returned to her mother's apartment for a quick shower before joining her mother, Nabiki, Beebee and Lydia for breakfast.

The women had to divert Nodoka's attention from Beebee's apparently strict diet, which was the assumption Nodoka made when the woman declined any food and had not visibly eaten the night before, by means of conversation.

"So, how should we go about with pops?" asked Ranma, knowing this was one of the few subjects that would get her mother off the subject of keeping possible daughter-in-laws healthy enough to pop out a couple of babies for her child.

"I say we lock him in his cursed form and sell him to the zoo," suggested Nabiki. If there was some way of making up for Genma's damage by getting money from him … well, she would take it in a heartbeat.

"Not good enough," interrupted Ranma. "He could more easily escape from the zoo than a prison, even in panda form."

"I say we emasculate him in public," growled Nodoka, and somehow managed to pull out live steel in the form of a fluid four foot long katana, with the designs of dragons on the blade, a roaring dragon's head for a pommel and with a rapier's quillon and knuckle bow … Ranma's gift to her from Jade. But what puzzled Ranma was the kunai her mother had pulled out with her other hand.

"That may be to-"

"I say that's not far enough!" growled Lydia, obviously still upset about the things she heard Genma had done to his child in the name of training … this was starting to seem slightly territorial to Ranma. "I say we emasculate him, beat the crap out of him and shove his f#&ing d#& up his poop-chute!" being limited in her use of language for so long had caused her to get more imaginative in other areas … though she did have the decency to blush as she realised that she had said the last part aloud … so much for keeping a clean language.

"That would be too far," interrupted Ranma before anyone else could think to extend the punishment. "We need him alive, or we'd get arrested for murder no matter how justified our actions may be… and if I'm right, necrophilia for the last part as he is viable to die from _Exsanguination_ if _that_ part is cut off …"

"We could try and cut off access to his strengths and hand him to the police again," suggested Beebee. "You could use that Ultimate Weakness Muxibustion point you told us about on him, and he wouldn't be able to resist …"

"A good plan …" admitted Ranma. "If I knew how to do it …" she may be able to recall the situation where she lost her strength, but it was before she could record anything in her energy flow, so she had not been able to notice how it had changed. In fact, it was following this situation she started trying to find out how to register those kinds of things.

"You're good with technology … couldn't you _make_ something that did the same?" tried Beebee.

Ranma thought about this for a moment.

"I already have something that does something similar …" she confessed. "It was supposed to be a way to build strength naturally instead of augmented by ki, but it isn't quite as strong as our needs would require … I suppose I can juice it up some for the desired effect …"

Ranma frowned in concentration.

"Ranm-"

"Shhh!" interrupted Beebee. "_Not while she's working_!"

Nodoka took the warning to heart and watched as small things and gadgets started appearing around Ranma, who had a set of white metallic bracers on the table before her. She was very surprised to see these things taking place around her daughter, but refrained from saying anything about it.

Nabiki was nearly as surprised. When Ranma had told her of the _technique_ she had learned, she had thought it was somewhat exaggerated, which was the reason she had made the suggestion for her to make a lightsaber, as it seemed like she had gotten ideas in her head from watching a certain movie series. Now that she was witnessing the validity of Ranma's claims, she was nearly speechless.

Lydia was not as surprised, having known that Ranma was _special_ before this, and having seen magic at work for herself in more than transformations. She was, however, surprised when Ranma started soldering without an iron, using only a tiny ball of energy at the tip of her finger.

Beebee was the least surprised of the lot, having seen Ranma do this kind of thing before, both on the car and _in_ it. She was mostly restraining herself from cheering her love on, knowing it would more likely disturb than encourage her.

"Well," said Nodoka finally after a few moments of staring at her offspring. She finally knew that the word about her daughter being a genius were true. "I'll need to go buy some tea … the crowds will be out soon, and the grannies in the neighbourhood seem to be quick in emptying the supplies of all the good brands … and with my child back, I'll need more food …"

"I'll come with you, Auntie," chirped Lydia. This was the perfect chance to get some bonus points in the race for Ranma. If she got on Nodoka's good side, she was likely to end up on Ranma's as well. "With your husband on the loose, it wouldn't be smart for you to be out alone."

"If you're going out," chirped Ranma, not taking her eyes off her work, "could you bring me back an airgun that looks as close to a real handgun as possible, a crate of round toothpicks, and … er … feminine products …"

Nodoka shook her head in resignation and muttered about how irresponsible her daughter was not to be prepared for her period as she and Lydia departed.

Nabiki watched as Ranma worked. She was unable to find her camera, and she was not able to write down anything as fast as Ranma was doing things … there was no way she would be able to copy down this and trying to get it patented before her, and after hearing Gina personally give Ranma the advice of patenting everything immediately after the plans were made, she knew that she couldn't get it done. The plans and patent would be in the application process before evening.

Not really having anything better to do, Nabiki sat down at the phone. Maybe she could sell the information of Ranma's return to President Iwo … or maybe arrange a meeting face-to-face to ensure she'd get paid what she demanded, not that anyone dared to stand up to her … well, _Ranma_ had done so lately … hopefully it wasn't the start of a trend …

* * *

In Atlanta, Georgia, Lord Talon was contemplating what to do with the sample he had obtained.

"I suppose I could use the sample as a template for enhancements …" he mused, looking at his computer monitor, which was displaying a super-deformed image of Gina Diggers bawling on the ground, and with him standing triumphant over her. It was his vision and general plan to make her life miserable.

While this could be useful, it wasn't very profitable or original.

"Maybe I can make an army of clones …" he continued. "Nah, too expensive in maintenance …"

This was true, many had this idea when they started dabbling with genetics at this level … must be the megalomaniac buried deep within every scientist … but none of them considered how much it would cost to feed and clothe those clones, not to mention medical attention a great deal of them would need from training accidents … and where to lodge them …

"That leaves publishing a paper on the existence of a hidden race of humanoid beings … I'll be world famous as the one that uncovered the magical world to the rest! I'll be rich, richer than mother and father! I can buy my own country! _Talonia_ will finally become a reality, and from there, I can stage my plans for world conquest!"

A slight flicker of motion at the edge of his vision caused him to look towards the container for his sample.

However, there was nothing there.

"Wait a minute!"

_There was nothing there_!

The sample and all data collected from it had vanished!

"Daishi!" bellowed the boy in unrivalled fury. If this was a joke, someone would pay dearly.

"Lord Talon," greeted the ninja from a bow.

"Did you take it?" demanded the boy, his glasses flashing dangerously in the light.

"Take what, Lord Talon?" asked the ninja, genuinely puzzled, and somewhat frightened of his employer's temper.

"The samples! The data! They're gone!"

"No, Lord Talon, I have not taken anything," replied Daishi. "But I will search the premises thoroughly for it."

Seemingly fading away, Daishi left the lab in search of the missing items.

* * *

In Nerima, Tokyo, Tendo Soun was waking up, slowly.

He was in an abysmal mood, as he had been since his friend was carted off to jail, until he remembered sweet Hinako-chan … she had been the only one to care, the only one that helped him.

She had given him a stern talking to about his behaviour of late, and pulled him by the ear to Furinkan, where she arranged with the deputy headmaster for him to teach the Karate Club for a small salary.

She had convinced him that he would continue teaching until he had enough saved up to rebuild and reopen his dojo.

The first couple of lessons he taught were rough on him, because he was very rusty and hadn't taught or practiced for a very long time, but with the help of his new students, he started getting the hang of it again … and unlike his own Master, he did not use perverted acts as teaching methods.

Little Hinako had opened his eyes to how he had been acting … like a sulking brat. Soun realised what kind of horrors he had set his two eldest daughters through in not doing anything.

Nabiki had to make the money through questionable means, which when Genma arrived with Ranma was mostly spent on unnecessary things such as sake, beer and other things, which in turn made Nabiki responsible for making more money to keep them in a house, shirts on their backs and with food on the table.

Kasumi had given up her dream of becoming a doctor to play the part of housewife … cleaning up everything, washing clothes and dishes, keeping the property tidy and the envy of the neighbourhood on a small income, and making heavenly meals with what ingredients she could get for the housekeeping money Nabiki gave her. She had missed her chance at her own life because he had simply done nothing, and the arrival of Genma and Ranma increased her workload by five, because of the troubles that followed them.

Akane had grown up as the spoiled brat … encouraged to practice Martial Arts, but never trained after the death of her mother. Despite this, she was told she was great at what she did, to the point where she believed it to be self evident, and that she was the best there was. The arrival of two Martial Artists so far out of her league that she'd have to train for decades to catch up to the point they were at when they arrived did not sit well with her, nor did she like being engaged to a boy that turned into a girl with the application of cold water. Following the two Martial Artists was a whole heap of trouble, including foes as strong as or stronger than the two, meaning Akane was forced to see that there were better fighters in the world than her. She compensated for this feeling of inadequacy by trying other fields of specialities, such as cooking and housekeeping, but those were complete disasters, so instead she got angry and took it out on her fiancée who was now dead.

Happosai had arrived and taken up residency, but instead of doing the right thing and turn him in to the authorities, he cowered and let the old man boss him around, hiding him in his home from everyone while claiming to the city council that he was actively trying to locate the mysterious underwear thief.

Well, no more, he was on the right path … maybe after a while, his daughters could forgive him for his neglect, but he wouldn't forgive himself.

Getting up, Soun went through the motions of morning hygiene before making himself a bowl of instant ramen with a couple of pieces of beef, some vegetable cubes, mushrooms and a hardboiled egg thrown in. It was not even close to the miso soup his daughter used to make, but it was edible.

He was eating in the living room when a shadow blocked the sun.

Looking up, Soun saw his old friend, Genma, looking worse for wear, but happy … deliriously so for an escaped convict with half the country looking for him.

"Oh, happy day, old friend!" sang the felon. "The schools will be joined, Tendo, the schools will be joined!"

Utterly confused, Soun did not respond to the joyful singing even if he knew the words by heart.

"He's alive! Tendo, my boy is _alive_! The schools will be joined!"

A few days ago, Soun would have joined in on this celebration, regardless of what crimes his friend had committed, and tried his hardest to force one of his daughters to marry Genma's boy … now, he didn't know how to react.

After watching the joyful criminal dance about his living room, Soun came to a decision after thinking what Hinako-chan would say, proving once and for all that behind every man stands a woman … with a firm grip on his manhood.

"Saotome," he said formally, causing the somewhat fat man to halt in his antics. "We are old friends, and suffered together under the _Master_ … but I can not join you in your insane scheme. I will give you a day's head start before contacting the authorities, but that is all I can and intend to do."

Genma stared at his friend for nearly a full minute before comprehension set in.

"What?" he exclaimed. "What are you saying? We are _this_ close-" he stressed, illustrating by holding up his hand where his index finger and thumb were nearly touching, "-to early retirement!"

"I'm sorry, old friend, but that is all I have to say about the matter … be safe," finished Soun, and turned his back on his friend, more as a gesture of dismissal than a sign of trust.

* * *

Kuno Tatewaki was in a foul state. His head was light as a feather, and his senses were clouded. Kuno Kodachi, his sister, insisted he take his herbal tea every day to speed his recovery. His twisted sister had managed to convince him that he had caught a "bug" from his training in the simulated rain, though how this insect had gotten inside him without his knowledge was to him a mystery. And now she had him quit the Kendo Club so this deviation from health would not be repeated.

This was the reason he was now drunkenly staggering down the hallway of the apartment complex his sensei was registered to live in, according to Furinkan's files.

He was going to resign in person.

Sure, he hadn't been happy about giving up on his greatest skill, but his sister had made some pretty sound points when she talked with him … he couldn't recall what they were, but they were good points.

He wobbled to a stop in front of the apartment number the teachers' records had said was her home, and knocked.

The wait of a few seconds was agonising, as he was tired from leaving his room, leaving the house, leaving the limo and climbing the stairs … his condition made it very difficult to expend much more energy than needed to survive.

This was the reason he nearly fell over in surprise when a young redhead part-gaijin answered instead of his sensei. Was this her daughter?

Tatewaki was about to address this wonder when he caught glimpse of someone over the woman's shoulder … his Pigtailed Goddess! She still lived!

Feeling all tiredness blowing away, the Blue Thunder stormed past the lovely gaijin woman to embrace his love, whom he had not seen in ages, and most likely missed him horribly.

Not three steps inside the apartment, the elder Kuno sibling tripped over something as mundane as an umbrella stand that had been nowhere near where he tripped over it, and found himself flying through the air … quite an invigorating experience, as he was headed for his love who would certainly catch him with open arms. This scenario was not far off … he flew towards her, but this was where it changed … he flew over her and through an open window, down a couple of storeys before ending up stuck halfway in the sunroof of his family limo, sunny side down.

What foul magics were at work to repel him so? Were the curses of the fiend sorcerer Saotome still at work? Did they cause his love to act this way, ignoring his magnificence even in her presence, and repel him to keep him from breaking the spell?

"I shall free my Pigtailed Goddess from the foul spells of the evil sorcerer Saotome, this I vow!" declared Kuno. It would have been more impressive had he not had his bottom half sticking out of the sunroof of his limo.

Ordering his driver to return him to the Kuno estate, Tatewaki was now on a quest, he was to find a way to free his love from the magics that repelled him from her, and allow her to shower him with her undying affection in a manner befitting their situation … perhaps in his bed chamber …

* * *

Back at the apartment, Beebee and Nabiki looked out the window as the limo drove away, carrying its delirious young man.

Ranma had sent him packing, and without even showing any effort or showing signs of being distracted from her work.

Just how good was she becoming?

The only thing that was for certain was that Ranma was getting stronger, however little or much, every day.

* * *

Author's Notes; Yet another chapter reread and touched up. I must say I bore myself with repeating these messages, but at least I'm deleting several Author's Notes of old to do it, which cuts down an average of three pages to each hundred.

PS; No, Ranma had nothing to do with Kuno's recovery … it was what I believe, and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, a _Placebo Effect_. He believed he was getting better, getting rid of the toxins just by watching the woman, and his body started responding to the mental commands as though he had been given drugs to counter the ones already in his system … goes to show you the power of positive thinking …

Credits; The line "Shhh! Not while she's working!" was borrowed from "_Family Matters_", it was Steve Urkel's (played by Jaleel White) line and mostly used for himself when working on his cloning machine … "Shhh! Not while I'm pouring!". The idea for the restrictive devices that would cut off surplus ki flow was based on the suggestion of Gelionlegends … it has not been completely explained, or the devices have not been completed, a more detailed explanation will be given when the finished product is taken in use. As rudely as it was put, I'd like to thank AmyLee for pointing out that I had not made the living arrangements clear enough, and I don't think I was harping about the period, I think it was more making people aware of and reminding them of it so they don't forget and ask me why this and that happens. I'd also like to thank Xtor49, Necrovore, Zolar, Matthew Talbain and iiradned who provided me with and confirmed the medial term for death by loss of blood; Exsanguination, though for some reason, my computer insists on adding an "s" to the end. And finally, thanks to the DragonBard for reminding me of the incident with Herb where Ranma used the body replacement technique … not having read through the manga series for a long while is my only excuse.


	20. Chapter 20

(Re-Posted January 11th 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

Hovering above a jungle somewhere in India in a McDonnell Douglas 500N helicopter, was Gina Diggers. She, Penny Pincer and Kevin "Ace" Koss were on the way to the site of their next expedition … to find the onyx tablet that was said to unlock the full potential of a djinni.

Gina was leaning out the open cargo door, scouting ahead with one hand holding down her father's old fedora and the other holding her steady in the opening. She was dressed in a tight, blue one-piece bathing suit, covered only by a brown leather jacket matching the hat, gloves and knee-high boots.

Not long after Gina started her scouting, a stone construction appeared through the foliage. Its form looked to be a cross between an Egyptian pyramid and an office building made of concrete without windows. Surrounding it were several segments of wall made in a similar material.

Of course, this was not cement or concrete, but rather limestone … there wasn't such a thing as cement or concrete at the time the building was made, so limestone was the material, and they were placed in blocks and slabs of varying sizes to gain the desired form.

"There it is!" declared Gina, yelling over the din of the helicopter motor. "Uhm Di Turrok! "The Halls of the Extremely Dead"! Just think of all the archaeological discoveries waiting to be uncovered inside!" the bespectacled super genius was nearly giggling in anticipation.

"Well, well …" commented Penny drolly, "aren't we gung-ho all of a sudden …"

Gina looked over her shoulder, and looked at her former arch nemesis. The black woman was dressed a little more conservatively, at least having the decency to have her clothes look somewhat like a safari outfit … close to the "naughty nurse" type of safari outfit, complete with matching beige stockings and safari hat, the last of which was sitting in her lap, waiting for her to get out of the cabin before it would perch where it was supposed to be … on her noggin'.

"But then again, I guess you're really feeling confident after "winning" that "Explorer of the Year" award, huh …"

"Actually," corrected Gina. "I'm just _itching_ to get a look at what's been buried inside that crypt! It predates Egypt by ten thousand years and is supposed to have _deities_ buried inside!"

"Yeah," agreed Penny. "But isn't this trip _really_ about trying to _prove_ you really did deserve that award?"

"Don't even sweat Penny, Gee …" added Ace. "She's caught _mad_ vapours over your award, yo …"

"Kevin!" exclaimed Penny angrily. "Will you cut that out? How many times do I have to tell you? I'm _not_ jealous!"

"Make that _mad_, _crazy_ vapours, Gee …" Ace corrected himself.

"_Kevin_!" exclaimed Penny with even more anger seeping into her voice. "For the last time-"

"Uh oh …" muttered Ace, knowing he was in trouble. "Later for _that_, Penny … and call me _Ace_, yo … anyway, we're here … what – the … Stryyp? Seance? What happened to _Britanny_ and _Brianna_, Gee? I thought they were the "Early Birds" on this one!"

As the chopper landed on top of the Uhm Di Turrok, Gina explained that they and Charlotte had decided to go fishing, so Stryyp and Seance volunteered to set up camp while she and Penny did some last minute research on the site the previous night.

"It's kinda strange going in with _untested_ "helpers", Gina …" Penny pointed out. "Should we let them assist us inside, or keep them at camp … I mean, this place isn't for rookies, partner … I don't want **stupid** mistakes hurting our chances to find the onyx tablet!"

"Oh, they'll be Okay …" brushed Gina off as she jumped down from the helicopter to the stone roof of the structure. "Hi Stryyp!"

"Hello, Gina," greeted Stryyp. "How was Calcutta in the evening? Seance and I didn't get to stay long enough to see it."

"We'll all go sight-seeing later, Stryyp …" said Penny as she too climbed out of the helicopter. "Right now, we've got to _focus_!"

"Agreed," chirped Seance in, his hand going for his own face in thought. "I feel the presence of something sinister in this crypt … a power that radiates _evil_ … Over the eons it has rested here … sleeping … I wonder how it will react to us waking it up …"

"Seance, you always say that …" commented Gina as the mage walked closer to the rest of the group.

High above them, unnoticed and hidden in the leaves, was a serpentine purple form that listened to every word uttered.

With lightning quick movements, it retreated to inform its master of the arrival of this party.

Gina, being a little antsy, immediately started inspecting the roof they were on for any entrance, which she knew was somewhere nearby … ancient constructions could get a little predictable after having visited a few …

If her guess was right then the secret entrance should be "Right … here …" turning to Stryyp, who had been following her on her walk, she tried to look innocent to gain his favour, or rather, get him to do her a favour. "This stone slab is a secret entrance! I'm positive … Stryyp? Do you think you're strong enough to move it?"

Stryyp took out a notebook and flipped through it.

"Sure … er … "Why don't you do something nerd-like while I handle this"?" he quoted uncertainly. This was understandable, as it was rather rude, and he was normally anything but.

"Say _what_?" exclaimed an insulted Gina.

"Uhm … did I say that wrong?" he asked. "Britanny gave me a list of things to do and say …" he explained. "She expressed concern that you'd be "off your game" if I didn't follow her directions."

"Oh …" said the shocked Gina and blinked in confusion. "Oh … come to think of it … I _was_ feeling a little off centre until you said that …"

Never mind, she'd figure things like this out after the mission … hmmm … maybe she could swing by Japan on the way back … visit Ranma, see how he's doing … have him declare his undying love for her … _hold on_, she didn't want to be like those "fiancées" Ranma left behind when he was somehow banished from Japan and to the Dragon Pharao's Tower … if he decided he loved her, then he'd have to confess that to her, she was not going to pressure him into making a choice, because that might scare him off … oh hush! This was no time to think about this.

While she was musing on this, Stryyp had managed to get the slab of stone off the opening Gina had predicted was located underneath.

"So … who goes down first?" asked the tiger-striped Kryn.

Looking around, he saw the others silently looking at him with nervous perspiration starting to appear on their exposed skin.

"Oh, yeah … I'm supposed to …" remembers Stryyp and rubbed his own neck. "Okay, here we go!" he added and dropped down the open hole.

"Stryyp! Wait!" screamed a terrified Gina. "You're gonna need a _rope_! It's ten storeys straight d-" her sentence was cut off abruptly as she saw her brother-in-law slowing down in his fall.

"Huh? He's _floating_ down?" asked Penny.

"Oh, wait! That's right!" groaned Gina, angry with herself for forgetting. "He can fly!"

* * *

Back in Atlanta, Ryan Tabbot was getting annoyed.

He had been standing outside his girlfriend's house for several minutes, ringing the doorbell and knocking on the door, but no one had answered.

Gina hadn't mentioned going anywhere to him, so she couldn't be on an expedition, neither had Penny … her house wasn't locked, so she hadn't gone anywhere with everyone … that meant she was still somewhere inside, and possibly unable to answer, and the rest of the household was in a similar position, or she had been abducted …

"Excuse me, sonny-boy," interrupted a voice that sounded rougher than sandpaper. "Is this the residence of Dr Diggers?"

Ryan turned and was faced with what looked like a score of beautiful women with odd-coloured hair and armour on top of scanty bikini outfits … and in front of them was what looked like a long-haired shrivelled old monkey on a stick, wearing a robe of oriental design and having very over-sized eyes compared to its head and body.

The conflicting emotions roused from the sight kept him silent for long enough to have the shrivelled old thing on the cane repeat the question.

"Yes, this is the house of Dr Gina Diggers," he answered carefully. "What do you want with her?"

The monkey frowned somewhat. "Would you know if a Saotome Ranma is living here, or did at some time?" it finally asked.

Ryan lit up for a moment … these armed and armoured people were after the mage. That was fine with him, he'd even get the man wrapped up in a bow for them, if it wasn't for Gina probably getting miffed at him for it. Not to mention, these people might get too eager in their quest for that _cheater_ and hurt Gina … he could not allow that to happen …

"Yes, Ranma lives here at the moment," he finally admitted. "But I'm afraid you have to go through me to get inside."

Ah … famous last words …

* * *

It was after a few hours that Nodoka and Lydia returned to the apartment, arms laden with groceries.

As they entered the living room, they saw Ranma, floating about a foot off the floor next to the table. The project was nowhere in sight, leading them to the conclusion that it was finished. Beebee's smile confirmed the assumption.

Nodoka was not yet used to have her child floating around with no visible point of gravity attached, but showed no reaction to it apart from a second glance.

"Auntie, we have a problem," said Nabiki bluntly the moment she spotted the two newly returned.

Nodoka pulled out the box containing the airgun, a colt double eagle soft pistol in metallic black, and a plain brown paper bag filled with the essentials Ranma required and handed them to her daughter.

"The crate of tooth picks is being carried up as we speak," added Nodoka to Ranma who had snapped out of the meditative trance she had been in. "Now, what is the problem?"

"Genma knows where you live," blurted Beebee. "Nabiki was calling someone called Iwo, to arrange a meeting of some kind, when Ranma called a greeting to him. Nabiki was slightly angry with her, but a scream of "Ranma's alive?" came from the phone … it couldn't have been Iwo, because Nabiki was surprised to hear him."

"Apparently, Genma had sought out Iwo to find you, because it was well known that he was the President of the Science Club, and knew his way around a computer, unlike that no-good ex of yours," interrupted Nabiki to keep herself from sounding too odd through someone else's point of view. "He was there when I called, and heard Ranma greet Iwo over speaker phone … there went an easy thousand yen …" she added in a mutter.

"The point is, now the old man knows where we are, and will most likely come and get us," finished Ranma. "I've been keeping a lookout of the neighbourhood, but there has been no sign of any malicious intent towards us yet."

Nodoka very briefly looked to the rooftop opposing the apartment before her eyes returned to her daughter.

"Of course not," she said to draw attention from her very brief act. "It would take him at least three hours to get here on foot at his speeds, and he is not the type to attack in broad daylight unless he knew he could get away with it."

"Sounds about right," agreed Ranma, and extended her senses to the roof her mother had looked to. Perhaps Genma had gotten on there without her noticing.

There was someone up there, but there were two, they were female and held no ill intent towards them … maybe it was a couple of sunbathers … it _was_ a sunny day, so it was a shame they hadn't all been outside yet … but then, there was at least one person per roof along the entire block … were they snipers? Eh, enough about that, they weren't out to get him, so it was none of his business why people were camped out on the roofs.

"Okay, let's start planning how the confrontation should happen," she continued. "Here's what I was thinking …"

* * *

After several minutes of intense fighting, Ryan Tabbot dropped unconscious on the front lawn.

Cologne lowered her staff from where she had knocked the man unconscious with it and sighed in disappointment. The warriors had been holding back in their fight with the outsider, thinking him to be weak because he was an outsider male, and as a result, nearly a dozen of them had been defeated by him.

Well, there was nothing else to be done, after they got her thankless Son-in-Law, they would have to bring this man with them as well … thank goodness her great-granddaughter didn't get caught up in this mess.

Oh well, those warriors would have to learn to share …

Just as the ancient Amazon Elder touched the doorknob, the door opened, and what looked like an ocean of metallic turtle-like beings spilled out, whooping about intruders and what to do with them … this was not looking very bright for their mission.

-BOOOOOM!- "Yeeehaw!" –BOOOOOOM!-

Oh, there were the lights …

* * *

In India, Gina, Penny and Strypp had finally managed to get into the Uhm Di Turrok by means of making a hole in one of the walls. The hole in the ceiling had turned out to be a trap … a giant blender of hundreds of twelve feet tall curved blades rotating rapidly, and acids pouring down. The rotating room, the small entrance hole and blades somehow created a strong vacuum that prevented Stryyp from flying back out or for those up top to pull him out. It was only because the hole had been destroyed and widened when Seance had tried to use magically enhanced strength to pull him out that Stryyp had not become more than slightly injured, something the bandages he was wrapped in testified of.

Seance had remained outside to patrol the area for dangers, and Ace had gone back to the main camp for some more supplies, as the acid blender had managed to destroy most of the equipment already brought in.

Gina herself was on her knees, looking through the content of her backpack. She was somewhat annoyed with Seance for inadvertently cupping a feel of her sizable bosom when the roof crumbled into the trap, but she couldn't really fault him, as he was only trying to save her, and those protrusions were the first things he could get a grip on to keep her from falling into the nasty stuff.

Stryyp, covered in bandages across his head, right arm, leg and lower torso, was supervising things, acting as the body guard.

Penny was wearing a set of green, smooth goggles that had "rabbit ears" on the ends, scanning the area. This was the Virtual Mapper.

"Is it working?" asked Gina absently while still looking.

"Hold your horses …" muttered Penny, holding one hand to the "goggles". "I've got to recalibrate."

After fiddling with the device for a little, she saw fit to continue.

"The walls in this crypt are strange," she commented. "Harder to scan through."

"Well, don't take too long," said Gina. "We're in a race … we have to find that tablet before Fauntleroy."

A short moment passes in silence.

"Any luck?" asked Stryyp, looking rather silly with his head wrapped in a helmet of bandages. This standing around and doing nothing was getting on his nerves.

"Hmm …" started Penny and looked around the corridor they were facing. "Hold it … I'm getting something … _What the_ …um … you guys aren't going to believe this, but …" removing the "Mapper" from her face, Penny turned her face to her friend, but kept an eye on the corridor. "Gina? Do you have a blaster on you? High powered?"

"Sure … why?" asked the blonde genius as she produced the weapon in question.

Penny didn't answer, but accepted the blaster anyway.

"Why do you need my blaster?" repeated Gina. This was getting scary … what had she seen that required such firepower?

"To put this stupid mapper _out of its misery_!" replied Penny and dropped the device on the ground before pointing the weapon at it. "This glitchy son of a _B!TCH_ has crashed on me for the _last time_!"

Just as Penny was about to pull the trigger, two creatures crashed through one of the section walls of the corridor before them, fangs or talons bared. One looked like a giant purple snake and the other like a cross between a red and yellow earless fox and a bat.

"**Look out**!" called Stryyp needlessly, stepping in front of Gina.

"**Zoinks**!" exclaimed Gina. "Those must be _dragons_! It's an ambush!"

The two giant beings froze in mid attack.

"Wait … you _didn't_ know we were there after all?" asked the giant purple snake. "$!"

"Kaf!" coughed the other creature piteously. "Kaf!Kaf!Kaf! Thirty-Eight! Help! I've got dust in my eyes!"

"For crying out _loud_, Six!" snarled the snake.

Already in a defensive stance, Stryyp spoke up next. "Before you attack, dragons, I feel it is fair to warn you … we _will_ fight back!"

"Well," countered the serpentine dragon. "I feel it's only fair to warn you … that humans just happen to be a _good_ part … _of a "dragon's" well balanced **diet**_!"

With that, the purple thing snapped, like a snake after its prey, but Stryyp caught its upper fang and held tight, managing to slow its lunge down with his inhuman strength.

"Hah!" scoffed Penny, only flinching slightly from the situation. "Shows what _you_ know, Stryyp's not even human!"

"Actually, Penny, I am …" corrected Stryyp as he struggled to keep the mouth big enough to swallow him whole from doing just that.

"Oh … Anyway, I've got a bead on the other one!"

This statement was finished as Penny started discharging the blaster at the red and yellow dragon.

"Ow!" screamed the thing as it covered its face with its wings. "Aaah! _Aaaah_! Thirty-Eight! **HELP MEEE**!"

"I warned you!" screamed Stryyp before taking a chance and freeing an arm to ram the elbow into the hard snout of the serpentine dragon he had been wrestling with.

"Augh!" it grunted. "_That **HURT**_!"

The raging serpentine dragon reared its head and was about to strike, when a blast went off on its head, causing it to grunt in pain once more.

"Normally, I don't have an opportunity to test modifications my sister makes on my gear," commented Gina as she pointed an ominous looking gun with green lights here and there at the dragon. "Thanks for volunteering! BRIANNA MODE!"

A series of clicks and clacks followed as the gun started shifting, taking up a more wicked form than the last, and a dangerous humming started up.

The one shot that had been fired had hurt, now it was supposedly getting enhanced, so naturally, the dragons reacted like any dragon faced with this choice would have.

"_RUN AWAY_!"

The ground rumbled as the two beings dug their way into the floor and disappeared within moments, leaving only the rubble and hole as a reminder of their former presence.

There was a moment of silence as Gina tucked away the deactivated weapon.

"Gina?" asked Stryyp, who had luckily not gotten any more injuries in the struggle. "I thought you normally avoided Brianna's equipment?"

"I do … normally," agreed Gina. Nothing was going to keep her from possibly visiting Ranma on the way home.

"Wanna trade?" asked Penny, holding up her blaster. "I kinda _like_ her design philosophy."

"Actually," said Gina smugly. "I don't think we'll need these blasters any longer … they've had enough."

"Do you think they were Fauntleroy's?"

"Most likely," said Gina. "But first things first … the inner tomb is waiting for us! I'll take the lead! I've got a knack for handling traps!"

* * *

Unknown to the archaeological group, an entity within the crypt was watching them through a crystal.

* * *

Further into the crypt, Gina was getting irritated.

"Jinkies!" she exclaimed and examined her flashlight. "It's like the light is being sucked away from this flashlight! We can barely see _three feet_ in front of our faces!"

"Except Stryyp, that is …" corrected Penny. "He still has those biosynthetic artefacts helping him … no doubt he can see in this pitch black fog."

"Trust me, Penny …" said Stryyp slowly as he looked around. "You're not missing much."

This was of course apart from the eerily lifelike depictions of suffering and tormented beings on the walls, ceiling and columns. But shedding light on this may have discouraged the two, or in the worse case, they would be _interested_ and delay their trek through the crypt by studying the images.

"Hey, Gina," started Penny. "Why didn't those djinni of yours come along for this? This whole scenario _is_ for their benefit, after all. And we could use the extra help."

"First of all," started Gina in a lecturing tone. "They aren't _my_ djinni. They're _both_ independent but, strangely enough, they like hanging around!

"Second of all, my scanners register both Dao and Madrid's power levels way off the scale, but they can't use that power for their own benefit for some reason. Even to save their own lives! So, basically, they would be pretty helpless in this trap-filled maze … unlike professionals like us-"

-Cik!-

"Uh-oh …"

"Uh-oh?" asked Stryyp worriedly. He could feel the impending doom already.

"UH-OH!" repeated Gina in a more urgent tone.

"_NOBODY MOVE_!" added Penny frantically, looking around for what would happen. "I think I hear something …"

Stryyp sensed something and turned just in time to catch a monstrous spiked ball with his back.

-Whump!-

"Stryyp!"

* * *

Akane was not very happy.

She and Ryoga had, inadvertently, travelled the globe in search of means to make Ranma's afterlife more hellish than it was, yet had thus far not come across anything to that end.

Yesterday they had jumped over a fence to a park in the middle of this big city that had some sort of big tower with a clock with a slight tonal error due to a small crack in it next to an ornate building not far from a bridge, where big red double-decker busses drove around the streets, and somehow, they had ended up in the middle of an ocean, with no land in sight.

The good thing was that the green metal man that had followed them had gotten lost, so they weren't in that much hot water. The water was nearly freezing, as a matter of fact …

Ryoga's curse had activated and Akane was forced to swim for him, while dragging their joined packs.

It was a good thing Ryoga had predicted a similar scenario, and included an inflatable raft in his gear … it was barely big enough to hold both of them and their luggage, but it made due for the night when Akane started to fall asleep and needed a place to rest. Of course, not really being capable of swimming, she was more _pushing_ the raft, using the inflatable thing to keep her from drowning while she kicked off with her legs to get propulsion.

When she woke up, there were helicopters circling around them, a boat was approaching, search-lights blinding her, while some gaijin was yelling at her in English that she was an illegal alien, and had to return to her own country and apply for citizenship or temporary visa like the laws required if she wanted to enter the country. The man went on about how there were barely enough jobs for the native or legal citizens of the country, much less illegal aliens, but Akane ignored him … she was not looking for a job, and she knew for a fact that she and Ryoga weren't even near American soil … they were just outside Japan!

* * *

After setting off several more traps, all of which were taken out on Stryyp for some reason … he started to look more and more like a mummy with all the bandages, supports and splints used on him, Penny discovered that there was nothing wrong with her mapper … she had only forgotten to turn off the screen-saver … silly her …

Gina was feeling awful for two very excellent reasons. The first being that Stryyp kept getting injured … a guilt that most leaders would feel burdened by on a mission like this. The second was that Britanny had promised her pain beyond description if Stryyp got even one single scratch … _oops_.

"Stay sharp, Penny …" warned Gina. "We still have to be on the lookout for suspicious areas to aim the mapper's scanner at … like the one I spot right _now_! Angle 315 and 321!"

"Holographic marker on trap: 321, please," requested Penny of the marker. A blue ring appeared on the ground before them, and a 3D arrow pointed down on the slab of stone the ring was on. Written in the air above the arrow was its designated number, 321. "Whoo! You're on a roll, Gina! I'm _glad_ you're on _my_ side!"

"Thanks, Penny," accepted Gina morosely as she looked at her brother-in-law. "I just wish I could have paid this much attention earlier …"

"Shmh hm no mnch hmnp," murmured Stryyp through the bandages. This unintelligible sound could be roughly translated into; Sorry I'm not much help.

"It's okay, Stryyp," assured Gina. "To tell the truth, I doubt _anyone_ else, _even_ Britanny, could walk away after being smashed and pummelled the way you were," she added comfortingly. "I mean, the traps around here could total a _freight train_!" seeing that her speech was starting to work, she decided to go on. "To say the least, your being there saved us _both_, Stryyp!"

"You can say that aga-" started Penny, but halted mid speech. "Whoa … check this out!"

Everyone looked into the great hall they had just entered, and amidst the scattered lonely support columns, blue strips of glowing energy was pasted along the roof. Several circle shapes were pronounced along them, and in the middle of the room, a platform rose a good twelve feet in a tapered form. Hovering above this platform was a large tablet shaped not unlike the silhouette of a turkey with its head cut off, and with a diamond symbol in the middle.

There was only one word that could describe this sight.

"Jinkies!"

Penny removed the mapper from her visage and gazed in awe at the tablet.

"What … _is_ this place?" she asked.

"Look!" said Gina, also staring. "The tablet! We found it!"

To herself, Gina was ecstatic, this meant they could stop by Japan much sooner than she had thought!

However, she let her business face take over … after all, it was bad form to drool over a man that wasn't even there while on the clock. She was the Explorer of the Year, after all, and needed to act accordingly.

* * *

Author's Notes; Another chapter reread and corrected, though I must admit that very little was changed in this chapter apart from a few words being replaced or rearranged. The biggest change was the deletion of a big chunk of the Author's Notes, but I kept some of it, because it would still be true after the changes and reposting.

Just to clear up some potential confusion … "Gee" is apparently the nickname Ace has for Gina, possibly an abbreviation of her name. It is not my concept, but is repeated several times in the comic books, so please don't complain to me if you do not think the grammar in the dialogue is accurate. I'd also like to apologise for my unusual censorship of the word B#&, but I was copying directly from the dialogue

The mystery of how Akane suddenly learned how to swim has hopefully now been solved … if it hasn't been solved in a satisfactory manner, speak up.

As stated several times (nearly said countless, but that would not be true), suggestions and ideas are appreciated, as well as pointing out errors I have made at _any_ point on the story. If it is a big mistake on my part, I will immediately go back in my text-file and make the adjustments needed, and the corrected version will be posted in place of this one when possible.

Also, I'd like to thank Gelionshead for the e-mail I got … the idea is remarkably like one idea I had for a different story of the same crossover, and I'll see if I can work it into this one instead.

Credits; I'd like to thank Xtor49, Necrovore, Zolar, Matthew Talbain and iiradned who provided me with and confirmed the medial term for death by loss of blood; Exsanguination … the changes have been made in the text-file. As rudely as it was put, I'd like to thank AmyLee for pointing out that I had not made the living arrangements clear enough, I did not send people to the dojo to sleep but rather one of the rooms of the apartment … there were about two and a half bedrooms in it which is explained in the raw text after I saw the review, and, admittedly, I may have stressed the period thing, but I don't want people complaining about it being unrealistic, unauthentic etc, and as I said, I'm just an ignorant man who knows next to nothing about it apart from it causing women to feel bloated, causes pain of varying degrees from woman to woman, and makes them bleed and get edgy in temper.


	21. Chapter 21

(Re-Posted January 11th 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

Tokyo at night.

This sentence often produces a vision of busy streets, screaming traffic and flashing neon lights, not to mention huge billboards lighting up, advertising various soft drink products, TV shows, new computer games or sexual aids of various kinds ranging from imported beer to penis enlargement pills.

Of course, while this is true, it is not universally applicable for the entirety of the city.

The area around a certain apartment complex was a much calmer place … only two cars a minute, and maximum thirty people along the streets at any given time.

A shadow seemed to detach itself from the alley of the apartment complex, and started ascending the fire escape on the outside of the building.

This was an unusually _fat_ shadow … as could be seen around its waist … it could certainly afford to lose several kilos of weight, but the nimbleness of movement said it didn't concern itself with it as it was good enough already.

After some struggling to find the specific window it was after, which happened to be open for some reason, the shadow crept inside to a living room, where sat a redheaded girl in her late teens, facing the door in anticipation of unwanted entry.

"Foolish boy!" the shadow growled as it lunged at the girl, "Never expect an attack from the most obvious point of entry!"

"I didn't," replied the girl calmly. The shadow had by now entered the light, revealing it to be Saotome Genma, but he got no further, as some unseen hands caught hold of him and held him in the air, no matter how much he struggled. "Let's take this outside."

With a casual toss of her head, the girl somehow ordered the hands to throw Genma back outside, through the entrance Genma had come in through, magnificently managing to avoid any damage to the frames despite his flailing limbs.

As he sailed through the air, Genma prepared himself for the landing, bunching his legs up and curling into a ball so he could roll with the momentum, like any experienced fighter would … only he never hit the ground.

Opening his eyes, he saw the ground before his eyes, only to be flipped around to see his child descending from the same window, floating down as though she was on an escalator instead of on air. To make the vision worse, the redhead's eyes were glowing with power … power he had never known his child to have … power even the Master would be hard pressed to rival … power he would have made sure his child never got hold of had he known _this_ could happen.

Ranma touched down out of arms reach of her father and brushed off imaginary dust and smoothed out non-existent wrinkles on her pants. Now that he thought about it, Genma could not help but wonder why his child, the boy he had raised to be a man among men, in his own way, was wearing that top … it looked like it was painted on in black paint, emphasising the sizable, yet manageable, bust that clearly called out "I am woman" … most peculiar … in the past Ranma had almost beaten people up for changing her against her will, almost being the operative word … most of those who did change her were weak, and therefore not worthy of being attacked.

"Let's find somewhere more suitable for our kind of battle, shall we?" asked Ranma casually in a tone that suggested that she did not expect, nor would she tolerate, a reply. Unfortunately, Genma didn't have the good sense to pick up on this.

"Set me down at once, boy!" he bellowed angrily. "Oh, what a _weak_ and _girly_ son I have, who resorts to teaching others the sealed techniques so they can restrain me from teaching him the errors of his ways!" it was a weak complaint, and didn't really make much sense, but it usually got his son riled up enough to get sloppy and lose his temper. Come to think of it, why was his son in his cursed form?

-Thwack!-

Genma found himself bouncing off the pavement for a moment, having been most violently thrust into it, before being picked up once more.

"You never learn, do you?" asked Ranma rhetorically as she strolled down the street with the floating fool beside her.

There was a park not too far from her mother's apartment, only a few minutes of walking, and it seemed like the least likely place to do major property damage if she was to fight her father. And at this hour, the only possible victims caught in the crossfire would be of the unsavoury kind.

The pair of them got many stares as they travelled down the street, and at least three cars came close to driving up lamp posts in their distracted state. Of course, the reason Ranma got the attention was for her rather revealing choice in "tops", as many would assume the mage suit to be when they only saw the top half, and though they were more adapted to her size, her breasts were still impressive, and could draw the attention of most men around that had not been dead for a year. Genma gained attention because not only was he a dangerous criminal, but he was floating along, shouting obscenities at the attractive woman, calling her a foolish, disgraceful boy.

Only once the two were in the middle of the park did Ranma drop her father from her telekinetic hold.

"Right, pops," started Ranma as Genma got to his feet. "I'm supposed to bring you in, but since I don't want you to think me weak, I'm going to give you a fighting chance … defeat me, and I'll let you walk away … lose, and you'll never leave prison on your own again."

With this said, Ranma got into a serious defensive stance.

Genma decided that his son-turned-daughter needed to learn a lesson, but still. "I will not fight you until you change back! I don't fight weak, little girls!"

Figuring as much, Ranma ignited her flaming skull, scaring her father witless.

"You _will_ fight me!" she growled. "Whether you want to or not!"

Genma, having made a living out of sensing more powerful fighters and avoiding them, recognised the danger signs in his child, and thus, after managing to gather control of his body, decided there was only one thing he could do.

"Saotome Final Technique!" he declared boldly. "_Run away_!"

Ranma, being familiar with the procedure, disengaged the flaming skull and gave chase as her father ran for it.

Genma ran off the paved path and started zigzagging through the trees and bushes, jumping onto, swinging from and dodging under branches, hoping his child had gotten soft in her absence from his instruction.

Looking briefly over his shoulder, he was both disappointed and proud to see that this was not the case … apparently, Ranma had figured out that her father wasn't promoting her training as much as he had claimed … after all, no master _really_ wished to be surpassed by their students, but only the _petty ones_ let this feeling affect their judgement to such a degree that they sabotaged the training. Genma was one such teacher, one who shunned no means to make sure that his child was the strongest there was … second only to him and _under his control_.

Apparently, some time away from him had made his child realise this and corrected the faults he had taught … impressive, but _not good for him_.

However, if he could get clear of the park wall, he could shake her off in what crowds were out at this hour.

* * *

Retreating a few moments back in time, we would find Nodoka, Beebee and Lydia racing down the street. They had heard the commotion Genma and Ranma had caused, and thus awoken. They had used a few moments to get decent, then followed the pair to the park where they had all agreed Ranma should fight.

Just as the gate of the park came into view, they saw Genma breaking out of the shrubs along the side, and look around for an escape route.

Nodoka saw this look, and made a few gestures with her right hand, ending up with pointing a flat hand at her former husband.

A series of smoke bombs erupted, and from various shadows near the park, several ninja sprung out, forming a human wall in front of the park entrance.

* * *

Ranma felt the ninja spring from their hiding places to block the most obvious path Genma would choose, and sprung out of the foliage to deliver a flying kick across her father's face while he was stunned at the sudden escalation of the situation.

Genma was dazed for a moment after the kick that nearly removed his head from his neck, but soon got his act together. He realised that he would not be able to escape this fight … then, it was time to show his ungrateful whelp how much he had been holding back during her training.

Settling into a wide stance, Genma released his aura, meaning to stun his child much like the Master could do to him by displaying his aura.

Ranma, having been in secret training even before her little adventure to another world, knew this trick, and was therefore prepared to combat it … she turned her back on the display, therefore not receiving even a tenth of its full strength, as most of the stunning power was directed at the eyes … it could almost be classified as Genjutsu in a way … if the victim was not looking at it, or was aware of the effect, it wasn't very effective.

For added insurance, she formed the tiger seal with her hands, and muttered "Kai!" simulating one of the biggest sources of techniques she had copied … manga. She hadn't really tried this technique before now, so she wasn't entirely certain it would work properly, but she was doing her best to achieve the desired result.

Genma, assuming he had the upper hand, darted in to finish the fight, only to find his strike missing.

Giving it another try, and another, and another, Genma could not understand how he kept missing … Ranma should be completely paralysed with fear.

Ranma on the other hand just kept dodging, and was going in a familiar spiral pattern. The heat from the anger and confusion her father gave off would be more than enough for her means.

Genma suddenly realised that the world was going in circles, and a very brief glance at the ground in between strikes and kicks confirmed his sneaking suspicion … his child was going to use the most dangerous weapon in her arsenal apart from the sealed techniques!

With a mighty leap, Genma broke the spiral and stood back, breathing heavily with exertion.

"You failed your little attack!" he exclaimed in a barking laugh. "That attack only works if the victim isn't aware of it!"

"Which is why you fell into my _real_ trap," replied Ranma calmly. It was amazing what turning into a werecreature did for one's endurance … she wasn't even winded, whereas a month ago, roughly, she would have started to breathe heavily right about this time in the match.

Genma was surprised when he felt himself tightly gripped by the throat, forearms and shins.

Looking down and around, he was most surprised to find five of his child … since when was Ranma a sextuplet? And why were _they_ girls as well? Not to mention identically dressed. Was it the cursed mirror again?

His musing was cut short when Ranma, the only one not holding him in place, suddenly appeared before him, with her fist buried in his stomach, forcing the air from his lungs.

Since when was Ranma this strong? He hadn't even seen the punch coming!

Not matter, Genma started struggling as soon as he regained enough air to keep a somewhat clear head.

The five Ranma holding him disappeared in puffs of smoke, leaving nothing as evidence to their existence apart from something white on him … what was that?

Again, shrugging the inconsequential from his mind, Genma lunged at his child, who stood confidently in place.

Something was definitely off … Genma could tell … he had been the master of his body for most his life, not the other way around, and could tell something was off. The first thing was his speed … it was much slower than it was supposed to be. The next was his strength. He felt like he was putting his all behind his fist, but for some reason, it didn't feel that much. The last thing was that he was not recovering from the punch to the gut nearly as fast as he was supposed to.

Foolish boy, standing still to take the punch like that … had he forgotten everything he had been teaching for their entire training trip?

This was the last thing Genma thought before the strike hit.

-Crack!-

Genma stared at his son-turned-daughter.

Why didn't her head budge against his hit?

It was a clean hit, straight to the jaw with as much effort as he usually reserved for lethal fights, designed to at least fracture the thing enough to get her distracted for an incapacitating blow.

No such thing had happened … she hadn't even flinched.

"Take a picture," muttered the redhead. "It'll last longer."

For some reason, Genma felt somewhat sluggish … and in an almost drunken manner, he looked at the jaw he had struck, and couldn't even see the signs of a budding bruise.

Looking at his hand in astonishment, Genma noticed something very strange … he hurt! His fist actually hurt! And something fierce at that!

The pain suddenly increased, as though it had been swimming upstream against his shock, and he found himself actually fighting back tears, and gritting his teeth. He hadn't had to do this since he first joined with the Master.

What was going on here?

"In case you're wondering," commented Ranma. "You've lost your power."

Genma stared blankly at his daughter.

"The reservoir of ki you've been expanding on for years has been cut off …" explained Ranma, as though to a toddler. "All the things you used to do to enhance your performance won't work any more … I've cut off your conscious access to them by means of those," Ranma pointed to the white Genma had noticed when the other five Ranma had released him. As he looked down, he saw what looked like white, metal bracers. On his legs were what looked like leg irons, and around his neck was a loose metal choker. Feeling them with his good hand told him there was no seam on them, nor a lock to unlock them. "There is no lock for you to pick, old man," added Ranma, seeing the despair in her father's eyes. "Only those with a certain ki signature can unlock them, and I have no plans of telling you who they are, apart from me, or how they do it."

He looked desperately at his child.

"Son," he grunted, the pain in his hand making the task of speaking somewhat awkward. "Take these off me now! I demand you _take them off_! As your father, I command you to release me!"

"No can do, pops," growled Ranma, her mood suddenly changing to smouldering ire. "You broke nearly every law in the country, repeatedly, you have to face the consequences of your actions and inactions … and it is my duty to make sure that the Emperor's nation is no longer in danger from you … I chose the merciful path that allowed you to live."

Genma was allowed to think for a moment … to reflect on what his daughter said.

Obviously, this was not a very good idea.

Quickly reaching behind him with his good hand, where his backpack had stayed miraculously in place and intact the whole time, Genma pulled out his final solution.

With all his might, he flung a very dazed cat at Ranma, hoping he could take advantage of the mayhem that was sure to follow and escape to figure out a way to get rid of those pesky devices strapped to his person and then avoid going back to prison.

The plan backfired when Ranma simply snagged the feline from the air and gently placed it on the ground, giving it a light pat on the head before nudging it away with her boot and turning to face her father. Hate was literally burning in her eyes.

Seeing this, Genma finally gave up.

He obviously couldn't escape his child … and he didn't want to go back to prison … there was only one escape.

"Life without the Art is no life at all," grunted Genma, anger starting to drown the pain of a hand with several fractured knuckles. "Kill me now and get it over with!"

"I think not," interrupted a stately voice. "I still have a few _issues_ to settle with you."

Looking over her shoulder, Ranma saw her mother approach, along with Beebee and Lydia, all three with fire in their eyes … huh, maybe they were carrying a grudge towards the fat man because of what he had done to her throughout her life?

With unintelligible screams of fury, the three swooped in and started a beating much too violent for mention.

Yup, definitely a grudge, concluded Ranma, and winced in sympathy as her father let out a very high pitch shriek of pain from a low blow.

* * *

In Hokkaido, Kounji Ukyo and Mousse were coming out of their … er … _feverish exploits_ and were not entirely sure why they were in the same room, let alone the same bed, and let's not forget nude and funky from sweat and other less clear scents.

It took a few moments for Ukyo to realise that she had _given herself away_ so freely to someone other than her Ranchan, and she hated herself for it.

"Why?" she asked no one in particular. She loved Ranma, why had she abandoned his memory for one of his rivals.

"I thought I could find Saotome here," answered Mousse groggily, having assumed the question was directed at him. "The Amazon Council of Elders agreed unanimously that Saotome was still alive, and sent out a hunting party to locate him. Unfortunately, they left me behind, so I sought out the one he was most likely to seek shelter with … you, and planned on using the spice to get him to abandon Shampoo before the hunting party caught up with him." The long-haired Amazon male sighed and looked at his hands … his glasses actually affixed to his face for once. "However, just outside your door, the pouch fell apart, and you happened to be the first female I caught sight of, thus I fell in lust with you."

"So, it was all this _spice_?" asked Ukyo, her eyes widened. "Ranchan's alive!" she exclaimed, this fact only then sinking in.

"That is what the Council said," confirmed Mousse.

Ukyo didn't know how to react to this news. She had so easily given up on Ranma, even after all he had done … all the incredible feats he had performed … she had left him for dead based only on other people's words.

She had betrayed her love!

Turning green for a brief moment, Ukyo raced for her restaurant bathroom, which was of western design to keep gaijin customers from leaving a mess all over her floors trying to squat over the traditional Japanese toilet.

Sounds of violent regurgitation followed immediately after the door was closed.

* * *

After a brutal beat-down, the sound of a siren cut into Genma's pitiful whimpering.

The dozen black clad forms returned to the shadows before the black and white police squad car came into sight of the park entrance.

Ranma pulled her mother away from Genma, just as she delivered the last brutal kick to her former husband's nether regions, and made sure the man was bound sufficiently. It wouldn't do for Genma to untangle the ropes and make his escape.

"We got a call about a public disturbance!" called a female police officer as she climbed out of the car, her skirt unfortunately riding up a bit as she did, flashing a set of lacy whites before she caught the on to the error and pulled the material down to its original length and position.

"Merely capturing an escaped criminal, officer," called Ranma, lifting Genma enough for his bruised face to be recognised … if one could see through the swelling.

The female officer grumbled about interfering civilians and grabbed a few sheets of paper from the glove compartment before she and her female partner approached the group. It was clear that she didn't like it when people started playing heroes, and would not do anything to prevent the arrest of those people on the charge of vigilantism.

"Name?" asked the hitherto silent partner … one Naru Ayemi, and leafed through the papers, apparently flyers about the more notorious wanted criminals.

"His or ours?" asked Beebee.

"Let's start with _his_," said officer Naru's partner, one Maiko Hina.

"Saotome Genma," replied Ranma easily.

The sound of paper fluttering to the ground from limp fingers quickly followed.

The police officers could not readily believe, without proof, that kneeling before them, hog tied, bruised, beaten and with some strange metallic ornaments attached to him, was the most infamous criminal of the country, second only to the urban legend of the diminutive panty-stealing pervert. The Emperor himself had put out a reward for this man's capture, and authorised brute force if needed. It had taken half a dozen highly trained fighters to take this man down when he was dazed from several tranquilisers the last time he was captured. He had escaped from solitary without detection, in the dead of night, and here he was … beaten within an inch of his life … bleeding, and tied up.

Feeling slightly faint, officer Maiko bent down and retrieved the paper sheet with the image of the criminal in question.

"_This_ is the man you've apprehended?" she asked faintly and held out the paper, showing the booking pictures from the previous time he was arrested.

"_Of course_ this is him!" replied Ranma, an indignant air to her voice. "I can't lie to save my life." It was left unsaid that she could tell half-truths, omit facts and embellish a little, but other than that, she told the truth. Seeing that it wasn't helping, Ranma sighed. "Fine, I, Koki Ranma, swear _on my honour_ that this piece of filth is Saotome Genma, my biological father, my former Martial Arts master, the escaped criminal, and ex-husband of my mother, Koki Nodoka. If that's not good enough, I have witnesses right here."

Gesturing to her mother and friends, Ranma crossed her arms, incidentally causing Genma to slam face-first into the ground with a meaty -thwak- since no one kept him up anymore.

"Right …" stammered officer Naru. "I- I guess we'll have to get a statement from you before hauling him in …"

Officer Maiko helpfully brought out a pad and pencil, and started scribbling down the brief and obviously censored story given, along with the names and address of the group, which thankfully was the same place. Ranma made sure to give very specific instructions about the ki-inhibitors she had attached, saying they were never to attempt to remove them, as it would send a severe shock through Genma, and anyone he might be holding. If at any time they needed the things removed, they were to contact her, so she could help instruct them in how to do it safely.

Ranma was glad her mother hadn't brought her sword … it would have prolonged the process that much more.

A long and painful process of waking Genma up to read him his rights followed. It was a long process because he kept blacking out from pain, and it was painful because the only thing the two officers could think of to wake him was to give him a few slaps which stung their hands.

When Genma had finally confirmed, though dazedly, that he had heard and understood the rights that had been read to him, the two officers bid the quartet of femme fatal a good night, and said they would call on them if there were any further questions.

Before they were out of hearing range, Ranma called out a suggestion for them to open a one-animal petting zoo in prison, with Genma in his cursed form as the main attraction.

As the squad car drove off in a hurry, Ranma turned on her mother with a brow raised in question.

"This is about the ninja, isn't it?" asked the redhead under scrutiny of her daughter. Ranma bobbed her head in answer.

"Do not bother explaining, student," interrupted an aged but commanding voice.

Walking up to the group was a short man in a red robe, wrinkled features, a long white beard and white hair confined only to a pony tail at the apex of his head.

"I will handle it," the man finished. Nodoka bowed her head and took a step back to allow the man closer to her daughter. "Let me introduce myself … I am Master Sensei, the headmaster of the Yamanouchi school."

"Koki Ranma," replied Ranma with a stiff, but polite, bow of respect for his title.

"You are wondering about what my ninja were doing here tonight," ventured Master Sensei rhetorically. "The answer is simple … two days ago, I got a phone call from one of my favourite graduated students, though she has not been active for a long time, asking for assistance in the apprehension of her criminal former husband … as you can see, we came, and assisted, nothing more."

"Mom's a ninja?" asked Ranma. Well … that explained the kunai … but it left a lot of other questions unanswered …

"Oh, it was an honour to teach your mother," confirmed Master Sensei. "She graduated at the top of her class, and was appointed the title of Mistress of the Sword, for her choice of weapon. There were times when I wondered if she was worthy of receiving the Mystical Monkey Powers, and master the Tai Shing Pek Kwar so that she could wield the Lotus Blade … alas, the last of the chosen ones have received their power … he is a powerful warrior, but a little clumsy, though, his hairless companion has much potential …"

"Wait a minute!" interrupted Ranma, not believing what she was hearing. "Mom being a ninja, okay, that could happen, even given how bad she was at concealing herself when she spied on me when she had me peeping at bathing girls … but her being an _expert_ at swords, that's taking it too far! When I first met her after ten years, she couldn't swing a sword to imitate the finishing stroke of a Second without losing her grip and sending it flying!"

"The wobbly monkey is the least suspicious one," recited Master Sensei mysteriously.

Not really making any sense of this strange adage, Ranma looked at Beebee and Lydia to see of they understood it.

"She was acting incompetent to lure everyone into a false sense of security around her, so no one would suspect her level of skill," supplied Lydia.

"Precisely, ms McKraken," confirmed Master Sensei. Catching the surprised look, the old man chuckled in amusement. "Do you honestly believe that I would send my ninja into a situation without proper intelligence about the parties involved?" he asked, sounding to much like a grandfather asking his grandchild if they honestly thought he had always been that age. "No, I know plenty, about you, Ranma, and that animated piece of metal called Beebee … her creator really did a splendid job with her … not as well as magic would, but remarkable nonetheless …"

"Beebee's a robot?" asked Nodoka in shock. She had such high hopes for her being the mother of her grandbabies … and she seemed so willing to be just that …

"Your desire for a grandchild blinds you, student," sighed Master Sensei. "There were signs, of course, such as not requiring a meal … always alert when needed … but what I can not figure out is why she has yet to recharge. A robot her size and lifelike functionality should require a very large amount of power."

"That would be because of me," imputed Ranma. "Her creator used one of my chi-tech chips to make a chi battery, drawing on the ambient chi surrounding her at all times, making it unnecessary to … plug herself in … so to speak."

"Ah, this must be where my intelligence was lacking … my sources failed to inform me of any such thing as a chi-battery. Coincidentally, I was not informed of what piece of technology you have invented … do you have anything worth mentioning?"

"Plenty, but most can be used for destructive purposes, so I'll keep those to myself … but if you want an example, here-" pulling a Stuff-Space generator from her stuff space, Ranma tossed it to the old man. "That thing, if looped around the opening of a pocket, can fold space within, extending its capacity to about twenty times normal carrying capacity … provided it stays within reach of the user, and the objects are small enough to fit through the opening, or else the stuff inside will return to normal space and … well, you get the idea."

"Most intriguing …" admitted Master Sensei. "Would you mind if we make some of these at Yamanouchi? They would be most helpful in our job."

"Provided you make small donations of … oh, ten percent of any money your ninja make from missions, and if you can promise me that my technology will never be used for assassination missions … I see no reason why not, but the parts have to be made from scratch, so you'll need someone very capable in that department before attempting to put the parts together," with her lecture over, Master Sensei bowed in thanks and pocketed the Stuff-Space generator somewhere in his robes.

"Your demands are most agreeable," added the old man. "As long as I have been headmaster, my students have not been sent on such missions, and I can assure you, they will never do so as long as I still breathe."

Ranma acknowledged his statement, and saw the truth in them … sure, a Master would be able to hide his true emotions, and thus not get caught lying, but Ranma knew the man was telling the truth … even ninja would make good on their promises.

"But, it is late, and I believe some of us might want to finish our beauty-sleep," finished Master Sensei. "Though I am the only one here who seems to require it in large doses. Good night, and please, feel free to visit or call once in a while."

"Of course, Master Sensei," promised Nodoka with a deep bow.

Master Sensei bowed in return and walked away calmly, as though he was on a leisurely stroll … despite the late hour.

This left Nodoka behind with the nerves of being disliked or even hated for not telling the truth about her youth.

She didn't have to, as she quickly learned when Ranma, surprisingly enough, enveloped her in a hug.

The two other women could not remain passive, and joined them.

The Koki matriarch was so relieved at being accepted that she started to weep.

* * *

In a helicopter somewhere above Burma, Gina was kicking herself, not only because of her failure in actually _getting_ the tablet, but because she just knew she just missed out on something important.

* * *

Just outside Atlanta, Cologne was leaning against a tree, somewhat tattered and singed, but otherwise fine.

Those exploding mechanisms had been too tough for the group to handle … especially when they kept pouring out, leaving only craters where they exploded individually, and caused the Amazon Hunters to fly about from the pressure the blasts caused.

It was by sheer luck that the group had managed to wake some of the fallen up and carry off the others in retreat. Had they stayed put, they would have been history before they could count their fallen.

"He defeated me first, so _I_ get to break him in!"

Cologne looked to the arguing women who were standing over the still unconscious male they had been defeated by.

"I was defeated last, he loves _me_ best," protested the other. The other women in the same situation started arguing their case, none of them arguing about whether or not they had been defeated at all, which would normally be odd, as they didn't really admit defeat … they were much like Son-in-Law in that regard … it was never a loss, but rather a temporary setback until a new technique could be found to secure victory.

These women, however, readily admitted defeat by this male simply because of his physique and facial features.

"Ah … to be young and in love again …" sighed Cologne and watched as the argument was about to escalate into a fight for the right to break in the "marriage bed", which was nothing more than a tattered futon and a ragged blanket at the moment. She was merely happy her great granddaughter was not among the defeated.

* * *

Author's Notes; Protests about the inclusion of the Kim Possible crossover has been noted, but it is a bit late for that now … because the chapter is now reread, and will not be changed unless the next sentence is accepted as a challenge.

As always, suggestions for improvements in anything will be appreciated, as will ideas. Even as minute details as a comma or punctuation to many will be appreciated if mentioned and located with a few key words.

Credits; The idea for the Ki-Inhibitors came from Gelionlegends.


	22. Chapter 22

(Re-Posted January 11th 2007)

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

It was late in the morning when the collection of females in the Koki apartment woke next … and it was to an official-sounding knocking on the door.

Ranma, being the one that was the closest, and the fastest to change into somewhat decent clothing, answered.

On the other side of the door stood two men in formal black business suits, one had very slick hair combed towards the back of his head, the other wore shades and hardly had any hair at all.

"Ms Koki," said the one wearing sunglasses. "I am Akouda Shibi, this is Kaji Tazuna, we are representatives from the divine Emperor and the Government, may we please enter so that we may conduct our business with you in private?"

There was no sign of malice in the two, and the clumsy manner they moved betrayed the fact that they had no training in the Martial Arts, so it was impossible for them to betray her by masking their intentions. The scan took less than a second, after which, she stepped aside and gave a semi-polite bow, gesturing for the men to enter.

Inside, Nodoka had gotten enough time to get decent, and greeted her unexpected guests politely before heading off to the kitchen to make some tea.

"Now, gentlemen," said Ranma after the two government agents had taken a seat around the table. "What can I help you with?"

With a shared look, the men placed the previously unnoticed briefcases on the low table, and opened the lids.

"I am from the Department of the Supernatural," stated the man in sunglasses and pulled out a plain folder from his briefcase, which he placed on the lid of his briefcase as he closed it. "It would be Japan's answer to … oh, Area 51 … only we do not have aliens stashed away, but rather choose to focus on eliminating malicious ghosts, monsters, demons and such … we have for some time been aware of your Jusenkyo Curse, and it has brought nought but headaches, as we got reports of supernatural beings in Nerima destroying public and private property with no discrimination. Of course, while a curse is magical, having one hardly makes you a supernatural being, hence the headache, as there is no other department set to handle events such as your collapsing a mountain, both here and in China …"

With the stern lecture over, the man handed the folder to Ranma.

"These are your identification papers, for both forms," he explained even as Ranma opened the folder. "Passport, social security number, birth certificate … anything to prove you are who you say you are, and it should be legal internationally."

"I don't know …" started Ranma, surprised that the government _knew_ and _accepted_ what she had done in the past. She was not about to correct them by stating her current species, as this would more than likely be suspicious in some way or another. She didn't know how they would react if they discovered that she actually _was_ a supernatural being now. "Thank you."

"It's the least we could do," replied the man. "We had meant to do it for the past month, but your whereabouts were unknown until last night."

Ranma nodded, understanding their reasons.

"As for me," started the other man, Mr Kaji. "I am one of the Emperor's aides, and was sent to ask what you wish for as your reward for apprehending your father for us before any _serious_ damage could occur."

"It was no trouble," assured Ranma. "When I heard what my no-good pops had done, I couldn't let him roam free … so I did what any self-respecting Martial Artist would have done …"

"Surely, not every Martial Artist is capable of performing your feats, eh?" asked Akouda jokingly. "Discounting Happosai and Khu Lon, of course."

"Oh, I could think of at least one or two …" mused Ranma. The wife of her current Sensei sprung to mind, along with her Sensei. They would most likely be able to do what she had done … Of course, she had yet to battle either of them, and did therefore not have an accurate reading of them, but judging from what Sensei was teaching, and the kata she had seen his wife perform, they would be either at her level, or more likely above her. Thinking of Saffron and Herb, she added, "And a couple more that aren't even Martial Artists …"

There was an awkward silence as the two government agents swallowed and digested this information.

"Well …" started Kaji. "Maybe we should get on with the reason I'm here … what do you desire for your reward?"

"I don't need-"

"Don't listen to her!" interrupted Nabiki hastily, having stormed into the room upon hearing what her _client_ was about to say. She got ten percent of any transaction she helped Ranma through, so she wasn't about to let an opportunity like this pass her by. "There are a few things that could be agreed upon!"

Ranma looked at the middle Tendo sister, who did not look her normal self, being ruffled from having just awoken and dressed in a hurry. Her barging in also revealed that she had been dropping eaves on the meeting that was taking place.

"Why don't you go freshen up, Ranma," suggested Nabiki, and pulled the weredinictis in human form to her feet, pushing her towards the bathroom. "I'll handle this."

Normally, Ranma would not dare leaving Nabiki to handle this kind of responsibility, but considering her good behaviour since she picked her up at the airport, Ranma decided to give her one last chance to prove she could trust her. In that capacity, Ranma accepted the urging of her "agent" and went to take a shower.

* * *

When Ranma got back from her shower, she found that everyone but her had gathered in the living room with the two men, steaming cups of tea in their hands, as Kaji was reviewing what they had agreed to.

"Let's see if I've gotten it all," he started. "You have asked for a small cash prize, no more than a million yen, but no less than a hundred thousand."

"Right," agreed Nabiki.

"You have asked for a moderately priced piece of land, upon which your … _client_, can live and do with as she wishes without prior permission or approval of the government."

"Right, but I can't do the choosing of the property for my client," confirmed Nabiki professionally.

"And lastly," continued Kaji. "You have asked that your client be exempt from certain laws … marriage laws in particular, and to narrow it down even further, it increases the number of legal spouses, which will not be limited beyond capacity of support. This is also supposed to be internationally acknowledged and accepted, correct?"

"YES!" erupted Nodoka, waving victory fans in the air and doing a little dance of joy. "GRANDBABIES!"

Ranma was speechless … but Lydia and Beebee were not. They were nearly bouncing in place with excitement, though they gave each other jealous scowls when they caught each other at it, accurately guessing what the other was so happy about. They were not about to _share_ Ranma willingly, but if need be … well, it was unavoidable given Ranma's past history in deciding between fiancées …

"Ah, Ms Koki," exclaimed Kaji happily. "We have come to an agreement, and now all that remains is for you to pick out the property you wish to have … I brought up a map of the available lots of land in the area on my laptop, and limited the choice to those below a certain price limit." The man turned his briefcase around and showed the monitor of a laptop, which had a map of Tokyo and its immediate surroundings covering the entire thing … red dots spread across the map at large intervals. "Don't worry about the cost, this is on the government's tab."

Ranma knew that if she hesitated any longer, Nabiki would choose for her despite what she claimed, so after a moment of thought, she pointed to a red dot in the outskirts of the city, far enough from the centre of it to be able to train in the wild without long journeys to and fro, but close enough to easily acquire parts for her inventions without a similarly long journey.

"An excellent choice, Ms Koki," said Kaji. "A larger piece of land than the others, certainly, but the owners have lately fallen on bad times and have been forced to sell it. Seeing as they have not even set foot there in over a decade it was the logical solution to their money-woes. This is the reason the price is within the agreed limit. The paperwork should normally take months, but as this is a special case, it will be expedited and you will receive your copies by currier in the morning."

"Well, that concludes our business," said Akouda. "We have other duties to take care of at the office … have a good day, and than you for the exquisite tea, misses Koki." This title was directed at Nodoka, who blushed in modesty at the praise as traditional housewives oddly enough tend to do, and accepted the empty cups without question.

"Yes, thank you, and have a good day," added Kaji with a bow.

Though still in a slight daze, Ranma followed the men to the door and bid them farewell.

This property couldn't be all _that_ big, could it? If it was as big as it sounded, the price would have been so exaggerated that even billionaires would think twice before buying it, but this was only expensive enough to keep students from renting it, but cheap enough to fall within the price range Nabiki had talked them into.

It was actually odd that it had not been sold already … certainly, with such a relatively cheap price half the country's population should be battling for the right to buy it … unless it had not been put up for sale before this morning … in that case, had the government anticipated which property she'd choose before she realised she wanted one?

* * *

On top of an office building in the centre of Tokyo, a McDonnell Douglas 500N helicopter landed on the _VTOL_ pad built there.

Before the blades even stopped their rotation, the cabin door opened, and a buxom, blonde woman hopped out, holding on to her fedora, and set off for the only door up there.

"Get a hotel for the night, guys!" the blonde called out over the dying motor din. "I'll find you in the morning!"

As she opened the door, she had to slip past several angry men in suits and uniforms that were yelling about them not having gotten permission to land. Ace could handle these guys, and if not, Penny was more than a little persuasive when there was something she wanted … like getting out of a ticket for speeding, or a fine for landing a helicopter on a private pad without prior permission.

In the cockpit, Ace was holding his headset at arms' length, trying to keep the loud Japanese profanities from damaging his hearing.

* * *

This place was a dump.

Quite literally.

Ranma had decided to inspect the property she had gotten, and managed to sneak away from the others to do so.

Sneaking away went against common sense, granted, but _this_ could not be done with an entourage, as this entourage would take up time commenting, suggesting things or complaining about the state of the property and the distance of the journey to get there.

The moment she had hopped over the tall compound wall of bricks and mortar, she had been assaulted by the sight and smell of garbage.

Covering the grounds close to the outer walls of the property were sacks of garbage, and loose garbage.

Diapers, rotting food, used contraceptives, broken toys, compressed cans or plastic bottles of emptied refreshments, scattered pieces of shattered bottles, even parts of a broken motorcycle had somehow gotten over the ten feet tall wall.

This was, unfortunately, not the biggest problem … significant though it may be judging by the number of rats that scurried away when she landed …

The building, which seemed to have been an Inn of some kind, had started to fall apart.

A section of the roof was sagging under its own weight … several tiles had cracked and fallen apart, leaving dark openings for the elements and beasts to enter through.

The front doors were in no better condition, one barely hanging on by the bottom hinge, and the other having already fallen off.

Several windows had shattered from natural and inflicted damage, and those that remained intact were in a bad need for a wash. For some reason, the storm shutters had been removed, whether by the owner or the scoundrels that had also spray painted colourful slogans and illustrations across the wall was uncertain.

Ranma moved her inspection closer, and found the inside to be as messy as the outside. There were signs of people and animals having lived here, and some had even thrown a wild gathering, if the discarded and ruined containers of beverage and food were anything to go by. In a couple of corners, soiled futons had been left behind, evidence that life may have been started here even if the place was dead … and it also explained why there were used contraceptives thrown around on the grounds.

The structure itself showed strain from water damage, and if left unattended or repaired, the entire thing would collapse on its own in a matter of months. Ranma actually thought it unsafe to enter as it was now.

'Round back, Ranma found what she could only guess was an artificial hot spring.

The grounds for a large part of the back had been made to look like a mountain hot spring, but there was no mountain for over a mile. The water was non-existent in the filthy pools that could fit an elephant each, and the rocks did not look like they belonged … clear give-aways that this was artificial.

The door set into the men's side also gave away the level of authenticity. Inside the door was a machine room with boilers and heaters, as well as pumps. This was obviously where the water was heated, filtered and pumped into the pools, though the machinery looked very old and broken.

Rust was the dominant colour and metal condition.

Ranma knew that this was about the only part of the entire property that was in best shape, and was fixable, unlike the house. It would be far easier to tear down the building and start from scratch than it would be to replace the damaged parts.

Exiting the machine room, Ranma did a quick calculation of the materials and time this task would demand, and came up with a month at the most, a week at the best, so she could count on somewhere in between, depending on how much of a help or hindrance her friends and mother would be in the process.

"Hmmm … wonder where I can get a tent big enough to cover the entire property …"

* * *

"Ranma!"

Said weredinictis jumped in surprise when she was assaulted by four worried women, one of which was her mother.

"Where were you?" asked Nodoka sternly. "You left no note, no message or anything about leaving or when you'd be back!"

"Oh," answered Ranma nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. She would have explained herself if she had not recognised a familiar face. "Hey, Gina! When'd you get here?"

"Just about an hour ago," she chirped, forgetting momentarily to be upset.

"How was your expedition? Did you get that tablet for Madrid and Dao?"

"We _saw_ it, but the guardian removed the entire building to somewhere unknown … we were told to find it and come back later if we _really_ wanted it," sighed Gina. She hated being that close to success, then foiled by some buffoon or event. Well, at least this time she had a chance to try again, unlike other finds that were snatched out from under her nose.

"Stop evading the question!" barked Lydia. If she couldn't be _colourful_, she could at least be loud. "Tell us where you were!"

"Oh," sighed Ranma, disappointed that they didn't lose track of the question. "I went to have a look at my new property, estimate how much and how long it will take to make it usable …"

"And …"

"And, what?"

"HOW MUCH? HOW LONG?"

"Oh, not much … 'bout five million yen … and a month of labour at the most …" replied Ranma. "That is if you guys try to help yourselves … alone, I'd make it for five hundred-thousand yen and a week of work, if I don't make any clones …"

"How about I just have a couple of SCVs flown in, and then they could to all the work, while we spend some time _getting to know each other_ better," suggested Gina in a purr, her eyes half drooping in a seductive way that has been better known as _bedroom-eyes_ by all who have seen this look immediately after the woman's _release_.

"Uhm," stuttered Ranma, surprised as the buxom blonde wrapped herself around her, leaving her face mere hairs' widths from hers.

"No!" interrupted Beebee and Lydia simultaneously.

"_We_'ll help," imputed Beebee, grabbing onto one of Gina's arms.

"And _we_ won't be _in the way_," added Lydia, grabbing hold of the other of Gina's arms.

Together, the two started the delicate task of removing the amorous blonde from their joint love-interest.

Standing a little away, Nodoka sniffed and dabbed away a tear of joy from her eyes. "My daughter is so Manly!" she sniffed happily. Visions of blonde and dark-haired grandbabies started dancing around in her head. A few with red hair joined them, along with some with dark blonde … oh, what a bright future lay ahead …

* * *

That night, Ranma got no sleep at all.

It was not because she was excited about getting an impressively large piece of land, paid for by the Emperor … or because the government had known about her curse and had made it possible for her to travel all over the world without worrying about forging a passport, she wasn't certain which of the two was the actual case, but would not worry about it.

It was not because she had been exempted from the laws stating how many spouses she could have … which would surely mean that she would not lose any of her current admirers any time soon. It was in fact quite possible that the number would increase, given her history …

It was not because her bank account was increased a little in size with the donation she was given in reward for apprehending her father … it wasn't all that much compared to what was already in the account after Iwo started bargaining for certain industries to manufacture the Stuff-Space generator in return for royalties and percentages.

No, this was partially because Gina now stayed the night.

It wasn't this fact that was the _main_ reason, but the fact that the women had half-jokingly suggested a slumber party … the suggestion had been well accepted, and Nabiki had run out to rent a few movies that they could enjoy, as well as purchasing low-fat snacks for them to enjoy with the entertainment.

So there they were … six women in their sleep-wear, sitting together on the sofa while watching a movie, the third one so far, that caused their eyes to water, and noses to run. Thankfully, there were no _adult_ movies … given the gender of the crowd, Nabiki might have gotten tempted to get some of the _shonen-ai_ kind … -shudder-

In short, it was a nightmare for a guy stuck in a woman's body …

And to top it all off, they were all sitting on _her_ bed, and holding her in place so she couldn't borrow the other beds.

At the time, a movie about small women was on … only Ranma couldn't see any midgets anywhere in it … if it hadn't been for the wet eyes surrounding her, she would have expressed her displeasure about the false advertising the title of the movie proudly displayed. Where was the action? Where was the mindless explosions and violence? She was a guy, and she expected at least some percentage of every movie she watched to have this, but the most dramatic scene, in her opinion, was when one of the sisters the movie centred around fell through the ice … that was basically it. It was boring. But she would have to admit that it was somewhat amusing when one of them nearly burned off her hair trying to look pretty.

Apart from this small scene, it was _torture_.

The only thing that kept Ranma going was the knowledge that somewhere out there, someone was in greater misery than her.

* * *

On a tropical island in the Pacific, a big event was taking place.

"All right, girls!" announced a cheery, if not too deep feminine voice over the Speaker System scattered all over the resort island. "It's time for our third event of thirty in the Miss Trans Competition! It's the Swimwear modelling! Remember to check everything is in place before taking your places!"

A few cheers rose up in anticipation.

"And our most special guest, the groper himself, will be there to judge!"

The cheers returned, only louder this time. So loud was the cheering that the rasping, mentally tortured screams of the heavily restrained Martial Artist was drowned out.

* * *

In an Okonomiyaki restaurant in Hokkaido, a heartbroken scream shocked its neighbours from their dreams.

"You _baka duck_!" screamed an incensed woman. "I'll have you _fixed_ for putting me _this way_, I swear it!"

What was talked about would remain a mystery, but the police was called, and after a patrol car stopped by, the screaming ended until morning when the noise would return in the form of a complaining duck and the woman justifying her locking it in a cage.

Had anyone been able to understand duck, they would have heard something along the lines of "CURSE YOU, SAOTOME! BECAUSE OF YOU, I'VE SEEN HELL!"

* * *

Somewhere in the Andes, Ryoga sneezed, setting off a minor avalanche that nearly buried the two travellers, but instead pushed them along with the flow.

As he and Akane were swept down the insanely steep mountain side, Ryoga could not help but blame this on the usual culprit of his woes.

"DAMN YOU, RANMA! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

* * *

In a forest in the outskirts of Atlanta, mid afternoon, the sounds of an excited woman could be heard along with the cheering of a few of her friends.

"Nooo!" screamed a man in horror. "I can't do it any more! I'm getting dehydrated!"

"Silence, husband!" shushed five women at once. "We give you fluids, you won't get dehydrated anytime soon!"

"But this is the third round!" complained the man. "I'm tired!"

"Yes, and you've cost us a lot of money in natural potency remedies to keep it up, but we need to be satisfied before you can rest!" countered the Amazon who happened to be next in line. The few giantesses in the group chuckled at the antics of their smaller allies, but were somewhat disappointed that they hadn't captured a mate for themselves … the man didn't know how lucky he was to have Amazons interested in him, let alone married to him.

Ryan Tabbot regretted ever _knowing_ Ranma, and personally considered the boy to be on the top of his very short "to-kill" list. The list was composed of only one name, so it couldn't really be called a list …

In the past, having half a dozen beautiful women fawn and lust for him was a dream never to be achieved … now, it was a living nightmare. They would not let him rest until he had satisfied them all, and thanks to their numbers, they got easily excited from watching, so he would have to go another round just as soon as he had finished one.

To counter the dreaded deflation of their favourite member, the women, _his wives_, had to buy a few roots and herbs from the ancient woman named Cologne, mixed together to create a powerful potency drug that could easily outlast the infamous Viagra pill. It was very expensive, and the Amazons suspected the Elder was padding the price a bit to compensate for the money the tribe lost trying to capture Ranma.

Ryan blamed this on only one individual …

"CURSE YOU RANMA!"

* * *

In one of the sub-level labs of the junior Diggers' home, Romeo Ellis cowered in a corner, shivering in dread.

This was a worse punishment than anything Gothwrain could think up.

It was worse than weapons-training with Zero.

It was worse than the burning sting to his soul at the touch of silver.

It was worse than the feared Gaze of Doom.

He was trapped in a cell with a _fashion freak_!

Out in the open, it was all well and good as he had a chance to ignore or escape such talk or demonstrations, and she had other people to talk with about it, but in here, she had nothing to do, and therefore took it upon herself to _educate_ him in the _Way of the Stylish_.

Having nothing to do himself, Romeo had initially shrugged the idea off as acceptable before giving it much though … better to listen to the woman rant than sitting there staring at a glowing sheet of energy covering the only exit to this cell, the only thing to look forward to apart from eventual release in some form being the next meal.

If only he had known …

He now knew more about fashion and colour coordination than any man ever should … he was feeling too feminine for his own good and there was nothing to do in there to make himself feel more manly, apart from groping the massive globes of flesh that were attached to his cell-mate's chest, and that had been made abundantly clear as a no-no during the first day. He still had the phantom pains of the bruised eye to prove it.

He blamed it all on their elusive target …

"CURSE YOU, WERECAT!" he yelled at the ceiling in frustration, unwittingly mussing up his hair, which Moisha had spent nearly an hour fixing.

This resulted in a cabin-fever enhanced beating for destroying her work. The good news was that he was a wererat, and therefore healed faster than normal men … the bad news was that so was Moisha, and injuries inflicted by magic, silver or other werecreatures took twice as long to heal than it would for normal humans.

* * *

In the Kuno mansion in Nerima, Kuno Kodachi was in too foul a mood to sleep.

The family manservant, Sasuke, had informed her of her brother's departure into the world.

She was most surprised to learn that the drugs she had fed him had somehow burned away at the mere sight of the redheaded witch.

Tatewaki was searching for a cure to the hold her beloved Ranma-sama still had over the witch from the grave … it was obvious that it was her beloved Ranma-sama who had been under a spell by the witch, and now she had taken Tatewaki under it as well.

Kodachi would have to find a way to rid her brother of the spell he was under, and destroy the witch in one fell swoop.

But there was only so much she could do … her father had just fled back to the tropical American islands of Hawaii, and taken with him a majority of control over the family fortune, thus limiting her options somewhat.

Now, what was the name of that shop her twit of a brother had bought the phoenix egg in?

* * *

Author's Notes; Another chapter reread, and yet again, only cosmetic changes were made, such as exchanging some words for better suited ones and rearranging a few sentences to make more sense.

Translation; VTOL Vertical Take-Off & Landing, I think. "Shonen-ai" is directly translated into "boy love" … 'nuff said … SCV Super Construction Votoms. "Baka" is translated into "idiot" or a "stupid person".


	23. Chapter 23

Reposted on Wednesday, March 7th, 2007

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

It had been nearly a week since the "government suits" had been to visit Ranma, and in that time, Ranma had returned to manhood as well as put together a huge tent which he stretched across the entire property he had gotten as part of his reward.

The garbage on the property had been carefully handled and destroyed, though one or two items could be recycled after a thorough cleaning and disinfection … the motorcycle parts were among the few things that survived.

The old house had been levelled with the ground in less than a minute, by use of the most destructive of the Yama-Ken-Sen from the inside, causing the entire building to collapse in on itself in countless pieces.

During this process, Nodoka and the others were still trying to find the property.

Ranma had deliberately hidden the address from them so they would not get in his way, or get harmed if he misjudged his strength and power while working.

None of the women were pleased about this, but kept searching … meanwhile, Ranma had to pull several tricks out of his proverbial hat to manage his narrow escapes each morning.

It was during the final stages of the foundation laying that Nabiki managed to track down the address in the public records, and the very next day after the foundation had set, Ranma found Nabiki, Nodoka, Kasumi, Lydia and Beebee at the gate of his property, dressed in shabby clothes that they wouldn't mind dirtying, ready to help in any way they could.

The neighbours of the property were naturally curious, but every time someone tried to lift the canvas covering the entire property like a tent, an alarm would sound from that area, and Ranma would have to go turn it off. There was little need to chase someone off, as the alarm did that … apparently, curious as the neighbours may have been, they didn't want to get _caught_ being nosy.

It was actually a good thing that Ranma had managed to lay the foundation for the buildings before the others arrived, as they were then ignorant of the lower levels he had built in under the house -most of which spanned the entirety of the property- and the passage leading from the house to the dojo, and the escape passages leading from the house and dojo to the nearest canal. This last part was of course not approved by the city, but Ranma doubted anyone would notice unless they actually looked for it. He had been very careful in avoiding water-lines, sewers and underground power-lines, so these would not be a problem.

Though the lower levels of the house were not decorated or put to use yet, Ranma had plans.

The upper level of the lower levels was for storage. This was for the simple reason that if anyone were to find the entrance to the lower levels, they would find this room, which was the same size as the house above it, in all except height, which was about nine feet. The entrance to the next level was across the room from the first, hidden in the wall and would only open to recognised aura readings from a certain spot. Non-lethal inventions and bric-a-brac would be stored down there.

The middle level would act as a sort of garage, covering the entirety of the property in width and length. Here Ranma could store and tinker with vehicles of transportation and not be heard through the ceiling, as there was an entire level between them, including soundproofing and several feet of concrete for each level. This was also where the passage to the dojo and canal was situated.

The lowest level was the lab, which also covered the entire property in width and length. The height was about twenty feet, allowing Ranma some space to work on secret techniques … the ones he did not want the world to see, as a dojo would be the first place anyone would normally look for him. This was also where he set the chi-batteries that powered the house. The chi would be brought down there through solar panels on the roof, small vents that caught the wind and small droplets of rainwater, which would be transformed into energy. These vents were designed to look very inconspicuous … the support pillars that kept the outer walls up. Ranma had carved designs into the entire wall for this to be possible. No one would be able to spot the vents unless they were consciously looking for them, and knew to feel for a draft on the stones to detect them.

The arrival of his friends and family was the time when Ranma decided to start using shadow clones, earth clones or water clones to hurry the construction. The clones would remain at the property and keep the women out of trouble while doing their task, and Ranma himself would run around to find building materials.

However, the construction aside, Ranma had managed to squeeze in a few brief lessons with Dr Diggers, who used a technique called Teleport to arrive. Due to the fourteen hour time difference, the man could not remain for long, or he'd suffer from jetlag … but he still managed to tell Ranma about the techniques and demonstrate once or twice before leaving again.

Over the span of four days, Ranma had learned as many techniques.

The very first one he was taught since returning to Japan, was Teleport. It was a very draining technique, but it had its uses. Being able to confuse one's opponent by disappearing and reappearing at random places during a fight was one … the other was the more obvious use, transportation. The disadvantage was that the power needed for the teleport was doubled for every extra passenger the user brought.

The second technique was the Aura Shield, which created an energy shield around the user, which would be able to withstand anything from mild to strong energy attacks … the disadvantage was of course that it couldn't stop material threats such as swords, arrows, fists or feet, so Ranma decided to use that one if he ever came up against Saffron or Herb again, as they seemed to rely more on energy than physical attacks.

The third technique was that of Presence Mask, a technique very similar to his own illusion techniques, only this one lasted for an hour instead of as long as he wanted it to. It was a very expensive technique, as far as energy went, but required little concentration on his part once it was initiated.

Finally, Ranma was taught Telepathy. This was the most demanding of him, mostly because he was reluctant about rummaging through someone else's mind. However, even he could see the benefit of catching a sneak-peek at what attacks his opponent considered using next so he could counter them with greater ease … this would of course not mean the end of reading body-language, but it was another thing he could use to anticipate his opponent's moves. It still felt like cheating to the Martial Artist, but in mortal combat, normal rules did not apply, and any edge was meant to be used to win and ultimately survive.

Incorporating the techniques into his fighting style had not become a complete process yet, as he had not had the time to merge them in, what with all the work he had to do. It was in other words a work in progress, but he aimed to finish the merger before he joined Mrs Diggers and her daughters on their return to Jade. He had said, though not _promised_, that he would come with them … he was very curious about this Tournament of Arms … Jade seemed to hold many skilled fighters, if Kara was anything to judge by, and if the Tournament of Arms was for skilled fighters to have the honour of fighting the Arms-Master, it was bound to get very interesting.

"No, Mom!" Ranma heard one of his clones shout. "Don't try to lift that on your own! It's too heavy!"

The item in question was one of the supporting beams for the Dojo. Ranma sighed … if his mother was such a great swordswoman, and was as smart as she claimed to be, why would she think she could lift a thousand pound slab of wood?

Looking around, he saw one of his water clones approaching his mother.

Okay, the situation wasn't entirely as stupid as first assumed … his mother had apparently seen her son and Beebee separately lifting the things with apparent ease, and thought they were lighter than they looked … but they weren't. The clone needed to remind his mother that Beebee was not human, and as such did not operate within the limits of normal humans … true, she wasn't as strong as Ranma, but she was still a lot stronger than most people.

On the other end of the dojo foundation, Beebee was also lifting a beam, but she while did it on her own Lydia was giving support and guiding the beam as visibility was greatly reduced by having a big piece of wood held tightly in ones grasp.

Kasumi and Nabiki were cleaning out the algae, dead leaves and other nasty, slimy things from the artificial hot-spring pools.

Nabiki did not look happy, and would no doubt have been happier managing Ranma's budget for the construction, maybe snap a few photos of him at work with his mage suit deactivated which left him with a bare torso that glistened in sweat from the heat inside the tent … but that was not to be.

Kasumi looked longingly at the areas Ranma had marked off for the flowerbeds or fruit trees, and was clearly longing to fill them with beautiful flowers, vegetables and saplings, all of which would smell sweetly in the evening when the sun set. The eldest Tendo daughter, however, seemed a tad more content in her current task than her sister. The two were simply not fit enough for the manual labour required to erect buildings. Decorate, clean and maintain, most definitely, but not construct.

When Ranma had met with Kasumi again, the woman had been very emotional, and had come close to suffocating him in her generous, yet modestly concealed bosom. She was very grateful for the Bag of Holding, but underlined that she would have been happy just to have him come back … he could have brought her a piece of petrified faecal matter, and she'd be happy … the thought was disgusting, so it was not pursued any further.

Nothing bad had happened to him in the past few days, and he was no nearer to discovering the reason why the property came so cheap. This was making him slightly on edge. He rarely ever went as long as a day without something happening … how much would then happen if the chaos got a week to accumulate?

* * *

"There he comes again," commented Cologne to her fellow Amazons as she sat atop the outer wall of the Diggers Mansion.

After their resounding failure at the other Diggers' home, the Amazons had agreed that they should spy on the two properties to see if Ranma returned, having gotten the information out of the newest Amazon male that one house was the home of Ranma's teacher, and the other was where he had lived. Oh, how easy it was to get that information … all it took was a day of pleasure for his wives and he caved into their every demand for information … it _had_ to be one of the better forms of interrogation in existence.

For the past few days, Arch Mage Diggers had teleported in and out of the property at least once a day for only a few minutes before returning.

It was theorised that he was visiting Ranma, but they could not figure out where he was from the snippets of conversations they could hear or read from their lips without being detected by the residents. For all they knew, Ranma could be back on Jade, in the Undead Realm or any other place on Earth … if he had returned to Nerima, they were certain the news would have reached them somehow … after all, the boy couldn't stay out of trouble for long, and given his increased skills and power, the level of destructions caused by his adventures would be of large enough proportions to be featured in international news.

However, there was some news they _had_ gathered. Ranma was studying to be an Aura Mage, like Dr Diggers, and was actually excelling at it, and at a pace that left the Arch Mage feeling insecure about his own talents.

It also seemed that he would return in time for the family to return to Jade for the Tournament of Arms, which they had understood the disgraced former Arms-Master would return to compete in, in an attempt to regain her status and honour.

They would have to wait until then, and grab him when he arrived.

The arms of the Amazon Laws were long, and would capture even their most elusive targets, eventually.

* * *

It would be another couple of days before something noteworthy happened.

This is of course on the Ranma scale of events … the super-powered construction of an estate in only a matter of days was not very big in his views, and he had not been visited any more by his sensei to give him time to absorb the teachings.

The house had been completed after a week of work, and the group had just returned to Nodoka's apartment to start packing what would be brought to Ranma's new house. Ranma had of course offered his mother and unofficial "sisters" to stay at his house, and they had accepted.

Not more than a few seconds had passed since Beebee closed the door before the telephone rang. Beebee answered, being the only woman not out of breath.

"Ranma," she called. "It's for you, something's happened at the bank!"

Knowing his bad luck had caught up with him, Ranma sighed and got the phone from Beebee.

"Yah?" he answered. "This is Koki Ranma, what's happened?"

" Um, " a stuttering man squeaked in the other end. " M-mr Koki, s-so-something s-serious has ha-happened at this ban-k, and I would rather explain in p-pers-son than over the ph-ph-phone, if you wo-wouldn't m-mind … as soon as p-possible … "

"Sure," replied Ranma. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

Hanging up the phone, Ranma didn't have to explain much to his mother and the others before leaving in a flash of light. Teleport was, as previously stated, expensive in energy-consumption, but if he was needed as quickly as possible, then he would just have to suffer it, and subtly recover the loss by converting some surrounding chi into ki.

In another flash of light, Ranma reappeared in the alley next to the bank, and saw that a police car had been _discreetly_ parked in front of it. Discreetly meaning that the black-and-white coloured car stuck out like a sore thumb … at least the lights weren't flashing … Whatever had happened was apparently serious enough to involve the police, but not serious enough to seal off the area. Ranma knew he hadn't broken any laws, _that the government knew of_, since he got back, so there was really no need to worry about being arrested for something … this only left the question of what had happened.

Upon entering the bank, Ranma was greeted by a short, fat, balding man in a cheap suit and coke-bottle glasses … the resemblance to Genma was uncanny, and it didn't really ingratiate him to Ranma when he started stuttering in fear.

"M-mr Koki," he greeted, giving a shaky bow. The sweat was practically pouring off the man, a sure sign that he was nervous. "I-if you would p-please f-f-f-follow me."

As he followed the nervous man through the doors and into the basement where the security boxes were, Ranma couldn't help but wonder what made the bank manager, which the man's nametag indicated he was, so nervous … normally it was the customer that had to be worried, so what had caused the change?

As soon as he entered the vault, Ranma saw why.

The bars that were to close in front of the exit of the vault had been torn apart, the edges of the detached bars were still glowing a faint green. One of the safety deposit boxes had been torn out, and green claw marks could be seen along the edges of the hole, just as with the bars of the additional gate for the vault.

A police officer was examining the green marks along the claw marks, and another was sitting next to a bank employee in front of a monitor that played the security camera recording of the event.

Ranma briefly looked on the screen and saw a woman with long hair, in a jumpsuit enter by slashing at the closed bars, before the manager attracted his attention to the hole in the rows of safety deposit boxes.

"This is the reason we called you, Mr Koki," explained a woman Ranma had not noticed earlier. The manager kept quiet, evidently having realised that his stuttering was not helping the situation. "As you can see by the neighbouring numbers of the missing box, it was _your_ box that was stolen. Whoever took this knew exactly where to find it, because I've seen the security tapes, and the woman did not wait around or search any other boxes … I know that what you keep in the box is none of our concern, and it would be impolite to-"

"Blueprints," replied Ranma, already guessing what she was trying to ask. "The box contained the hardcopy blueprints for some of my inventions, and I had better get them back because in the wrong hands … well … it would make Hiroshima and Nagasaki look like they had been pelted with mini firecrackers instead of nuclear bombs."

For some odd reason, this seemed to make the woman nervous as well.

"No need to worry," assured Ranma. "To even attempt making some of that stuff, one would need a firm grasp on the concept of internal and external energies … that woman on the security tape seems to have that, but she appears to be the _muscle_ of whomever was stupid enough to steal my things, she doesn't have the technological knowledge needed to make those things," I _hope_, Ranma added to himself. After all, no one would think _he_ was any genius, so what was stopping anyone else from looking like that was well?

"I hope you aren't considering changing banks because of this little incident, are you?" asked the woman, obviously reluctantly, but the insistent nudging from her superior got her to ask anyway.

"You have _one_ more chance before I consider it," replied Ranma sternly, deciding to take a page out of Nabiki's book of business negotiations. "If your security measures have not improved in the next month, I will take my business and money elsewhere …"

"You can't!" exclaimed the stuttering manager, now speaking cleanly from shock, or outrage … there was so little distinction between the two emotions on the man …

"Oh?"

"We'll be ruined!" the manager exclaimed. "You are the biggest customer of this bank, if you decide to leave, it might give our other customers ideas!"

"Aside from the bank not being secure, what ideas do you not want me to give your customers?" asked Ranma, using his best glare. "Perhaps that you almost _threaten_ them into remaining with you? Keep them from reporting you to the Main Office so you can't get demoted or fired? Let me assure you, if I do not find the security measures satisfactory within one month, I will see to it that every yen of my money is withdrawn from this bank, and I will sell the story to every media organisation in the country about how my box got stolen without resistance or hindrance!

"And let me tell you, my current standards for security are _very_ high, so if as much as a gnat manages to crawl in without someone in security knowing about it, it is _not good enough_!" Ranma calmed down before he lost his temper, which was bound to happen if he kept lecturing this fool. "Now, if you would excuse me, I have a criminal to track down."

Ranma ignored the suddenly indignant ranting of the formerly stuttering manager … apparently, the man had been more afraid of physical punishment than anything else, and was not going to tolerate threats to his job. Instead, Ranma focused on the slowly fading energy signature left in the cuts and gashes left in the vault … memorising it, and seeing a fading trail of it leading in and out of the vault.

Nearly like the stereotypic Sherlock Holmes, Ranma followed the trail of energy that had settled along the ground like a scent, or footprints, until it got outside where it was joined by a _sickly_ man's. The trail rapidly thinned down after that, indicating high speed … but the buildings in the way of the trail indicated that they had gone over them instead of following the roads. This, in turn, led Ranma to the conclusion that the thief was in possession of some form of aircraft to be able to get through the city this fast.

Not wanting to let the thief get away, Ranma did the only thing he could to follow the trail and not lose track of it … he brought out his car and got in and triggered the hovering sequence.

Following the trail was not all that difficult, even at great altitudes, because he was, after all, the best. When he accelerated to near sonic speeds, it got a little more difficult, but not impossible. It was not as if he could let the thief get away with his blueprints, anyway … the consequences of a _failed_ attempt at replicating the technology could be lethal to the one working on it at best … the worst case scenario involved turning the planet into a black hole in an instant, a black hole that would grow in strength for every planet and star devoured and would eventually swallow the entire universe. Something similar to the worst scenario could also occur if the production was a success … because with this technology, the chi battery, without limitations set into it, would absorb energy from anything, living or dead, and would bleed the planet so dry that it would implode, which would create a black hole of some sort, in theory. This was the reason why Ranma was so strict about what sources his chi batteries was allowed to take from, and how much they were allowed to absorb before stopping.

These thoughts were not something Ranma liked to dwell on, so he instead sped up, while keeping below a hundred metres off the ground, to avoid radar detection, which would have fighter pilots sent after him if he didn't do. The trail seemed to follow the coast northeast for a while before heading out to sea, and Ranma was not about to let a little water frighten him out of pursuing his prey, so he steered out after them.

* * *

Ranma was slightly surprised, something that didn't happen much. Sure, he got very surprised or not at all, but only slight surprised was somewhat of an anomaly.

He had suspected that the aircraft he had been trailing would land on a boat of some kind, as he doubted a craft small enough to land on a Tokyo street without a big commotion would not have enough fuel to travel over greater distances … with the exception of his car … he was right, but he had not expected an airplane carrier modified to be a floating fortress.

Missile launchers were perched on either end of the long ship, each of the sixteen slots in each, and each were filled with gleaming white missiles capable of taking out targets in the air, land and sea. Gun turrets were erected along the middle, three in total, placed to leave no blind spots, and mounted with four 380 mm barrels each to enable near-continuous firing. Torpedo launchers were barely visible along the sides of the ship, due to the gun turrets. Notably absent were the airplanes that were usually parked on the flight deck.

How could something as large as that thing had not been approached by the coast guard?

Not bothering to wonder, he turned on the shielding around the car, cloaking it from view and detection by the bridge.

If that thing was half as dangerous as it appeared, an all-out attack from it was not something he really wanted. Not that he'd be injured by it, inside or outside the car, but it would be most uncomfortable.

As he got closer, Ranma spotted something else that was somewhat out of the ordinary.

A cargo plane was flying over head.

This in and of itself was not the strange part, but that it dropped off two persons in mid-flight over an ocean, was.

Ranma's trained eyes followed the fall of the two, detecting no distress from them about their current situation. The one hanging to the back, the boy by the feel of his aura, was a little distressed, but not for any present problem. There was also a small animal in his pant pocket, but he was not trained well enough to read what kind of animal it was at these speeds and out of sight … true, he could get a sonar-like image of it, but at these speeds it would be difficult to discern between a mouse and a boa constrictor.

Halfway to the surface of the water, the two deployed their parachutes and homed in on the floating fortress.

No activity was detected on the deck of the ship as the two kids, who could only have been a little younger than him, landed, which led Ranma to two possible conclusions. The first possibility was that the two were part of whoever ran the ship and stole his blueprints, making them the enemy, or the thing was dangerously understaffed and no one had been manning the radar or weapons to spot them.

The two kids shed their parachutes and entered the interior of the ship.

Seeing this, Ranma decided it was no more dangerous for him to land as well.

His deduction was correct, and there was no sign that his landing an invisible car on deck had been noticed.

Once out of the car, he stowed it away again before following the two kids inside.

The insides did not differ all that much from other ships, apart from slightly bigger doorways and wider passages, so one was not forced to duck, or raise ones legs too much to enter, and three people could easily pass one another without having to halt for the others. It was obvious that the one who ordered these changes was somewhat clumsy, or else he would not have had much problem doing the manoeuvres required in normal ships. Either that or they used the corridors for moving heavy objects that were too small and light to bother using the cargo ramps on deck, but heavy enough to keep them on wheels.

Again, the insides of the ship were conspicuously devoid of staff, until he came to the internal hangar in the belly of the ship. This was also completely devoid of staff, or aircraft recognised as planes or choppers … there was what looked like a convertible U.F.O. hovercraft parked in the lift designed to bring aircrafts to the flight deck, but that was it.

In the hangar, a sickly blue man with a scar under his left eye was using his abnormally small hands to try and pry a locked safety deposit box open. _Ranma's_ box. He did not seem to possess the same energy manipulation skills his associate did, nor did he have sufficient strength to do the job.

Lounging around a poker table was a group of men in various states of health and fitness, all wearing red jumpsuits and goggles, while playing the card game the table was made for. The various snacks soiling the green felt top simply made for an interesting array of crisp colours to the bland ones on the well-used chips used as money.

Lounging casually in a chair, filing the metal claws on her gloves, was a woman with a green hue to her skin, wearing a black and green jumpsuit. This was the woman that stole his blueprints from the bank. All grudges aside, Ranma could not help but notice how well she was formed … had the suit been any tighter, it would look like she had painted it on with a very thin layer of latex. At the moment, there was very little slack, but then, it did not seem to hinder her mobility any.

"Grrrk!" grunted the blue man as he tried to pry the lid of the box open. "Open, damn you!" he added in a whiny tone and tried placing the box on the ground and standing on it so he would have greater leverage to pry open the lid … it was not helping.

"What's the matter, Dr D?" asked the green woman smugly. "Can't _get it up_?"

"Ha ha, very funny, Shego!" whined the man angrily. "How about you do something other than making snide remarks at me, for a change?"

"You mean, like breaking into a high security bank vault to steal the blueprints of some doomsday device you don't know how to build or work?" retorted the woman, Shego. "Or, how about saving your stupid behind from getting arrested by a certain redhead, whom shall remain nameless?"

The man growled in frustration and threw the box across the hangar. It slid to a stop near the wall.

"Where did I put my blowtorch?" he asked in a huff and started rooting through the drawers of the nearest tool table.

"Planning on torching the blueprints, _Drew_?" asked Shego patronisingly, blowing away the metal shavings from her filing.

The man, Drew, had seemingly forgotten that paper tends to be flammable even in metal boxes, and started cursing up a storm while searching for something to break the locking mechanism in the box to he could access the blueprints he so desired.

"So," drawled Shego, stretching her arms and back while remaining seated. "How did you hear about these things, anyway?"

"Ah," replied Drew, pleased to have been asked, almost as though he had been waiting for someone to ask. "I found out through _this_!"

In a dramatic motion, the man withdrew a magazine from within his blue lab coat and held it on display to his companion.

"_Teen Girl Weekly_?" asked Shego after seeing the cover.

"Ooops, wrong one … here!"

"_Business Quarterly_ … _Nominated Scientist of the Year_ …" read Shego. "This guy doesn't look all that old, Dr D … how good could his inventions be?"

"Bah," Dr Drew scoffed. "They must not have gotten a recent photo of him and only got one from the archives … but that doesn't matter! The manager of the bank you robbed came out in the article and proudly announced that this man had a safety deposit box being kept in the vaults! And what does an inventor keep in safety deposit boxes? Blueprints!"

Ranma swore he would make that manager pay, possibly by getting him fired and blackballed from anything dealing with money … maybe he'd choose his words more carefully when he was put out on the street and with no way of supporting himself or his family, if he even had one …

"I had you kidnap that hacker kid, and he in turn hacked his way into the bank's computer files to figure out which box number the blueprints were stored in!" finished the apparent mad scientist. "And now, I shall build whatever doomsday device I can out of those files, and hold the world for ransom! Nothing can stop me now! Mwahahahahaha!"

"Except the lock on that box …" concluded Shego, putting a damper on the mood of her apparent employer by pointing out his faults.

"It's impossible to get it to open, I tell you!" yelled Dr Drew angrily. How on earth was he to open a box without using a blowtorch and without destroying the blueprints he had based his whole scheme around?

"Like the _childproof caps_ on aspirin bottles?" retorted Shego smugly.

"Grrr, I'll have you know it's very difficult to _push down_ and _twist_ at the same time!"

"Well, you won't have to worry about that where you're going, Dr Drakken!" called a female voice from along the rafters.

Everyone looked up and saw the redheaded girl Ranma had seen land on the ship, along with her blonde friend. She was dressed in a black top that did little to hide her stomach, and accented her modest talents. Covering her lower half was a pair of loose cargo pants in kaki-olive colours, and about her waist was a utility belt. Her friend was clad similarly, only his top covered his entire upper half, his head not included.

"_Kim Possible_!" shrieked the man, Dr Drakken, apparently. He must have known her very well. "And … er, what's-his-name … _the buffoon_! _How did you find us here_? I was very careful this time!"

"Ron – Stoppable!" complained the blonde boy in an annoyed tone. "How hard is that to remember? We've met, like, a million times, and you still can't remember it!"

"Not now, Ron!" interrupted the girl, Kim, and jumped down from the rafter. Immediately after jumping, she pulled a hairdryer from her utility belt and fired a grappling hook at another rafter, making her swing down instead of plummet the thirty feet down. "That _hacker kid_ you napped sent an encrypted message to my website, Dr Drakken, not very smart …"

"Just sayin', 's all!" grumbled the blonde boy about the situation with his name as he too fired a grappling hook and jumped … only to have his pants get caught on something and tear off in an embarrassing display. "Oh, _come on_! Why does this keep happening to me?"

"Ron!" exclaimed Kim, who had by now engaged in a fight with Shego. "Less chatter, more help! Keep Dr Drakken from getting away!"

"Sure thing, Kaypee," called Ron, and focused on the blue man, only to have the red-clad men step in between them holding staves glowing with stunning or explosive properties at the ends. "Kaypee! Trouble with the plan!"

Ranma thought the boy was pathetic … those were six guys, hardly any muscle on them at all, and no fighting skills … what was the big deal? Why did he want to have a girl fight for him when he was faced with such a minimal threat?

While the two teens fought the henchmen, Ranma noticed that Dr Drakken, as he was called, was running for the box.

Not wanting the man to get away with his blueprints, Ranma dropped down from the catwalk to the hangar floor, between the dumb doctor and the box.

"You're not getting those blueprints," stated Ranma coolly.

The man looked dumbfounded for a moment, trying to place his face before giving up.

"Shego!" he bellowed. "Get this buffoon out of my way!"

"Kinda busy over here Dr D," grunted Shego as she blocked a kick at her midsection. "Deal with it yourself!"

"Argh!" growled the blue doctor. "Very well … eat hot plasma … um … whoever you are!"

From within his lab coat, Dr Drakken pulled a very surreal-looking gun … it looked like a toy, and pulled the trigger at Ranma.

A green bolt of energy discharged from the saucer-shaped nozzle of the thing, and headed in the direction it was fired, shrieking in a high pitched tone.

Acting on instinct faster than anyone could see, though since there were so many distractions not many did, Ranma pulled his sword from stuff space and activated it, using the glowing blue energy blade to bat the ball of energy back at the blue man.

Dr Drakken of course squeaked and fell over and was therefore not hit … the large collection of super computers along the wall behind him, however, was. A nice, big hole opened up in the wall, giving a good view of the ocean and the rising stars on the darkening canvas that was the sky.

The big explosion was enough of a distraction for everyone to stop fighting to see what had happened.

"Oh, fer cryin' out loud!" growled Shego. "Can't you go five seconds without blowing something up? Do you really want me to hire you a _nanny_ to keep you out of trouble?"

"I'm sure they can make arrangements for you in prison," quipped Kim and landed a kick to the green woman's jaw, sending her rolling towards Dr Drakken.

Not missing a beat, Shego kicked off when her feet next hit the ground and launched towards the new menace to her pay-check, her fists aglow from the strange energy she could manipulate.

"Let's see how tough you are without that glow-stick, Jedi-wannabe," she challenged as she rushed in, aiming her attacks at the hand Ranma held the sword in.

For his own amusement's sake, Ranma _accidentally_ let go of it, turning it off, and watched as Dr Drakken intercepted it.

"Ha-Ha! Who's the toughest _now_?" crowed the blue man triumphantly, pressing the only button on the cylinder.

Nothing happened.

"Argh, why won't it work?" whined the mad scientist.

For good measure, he shook it and looked up the end the energy had come out of earlier.

"It won't work because it's not me holding it," replied Ranma casually. "A little something I came up with after seeing that movie … um, what was it called … Judge … Judge Judy, no, Judge Amy … no, Judge Fear, something like that … all my destructive inventions have been installed with a form of recognition device. If the current user was not in the data bank, it will not operate. The best you could do with it at this moment is using it as a thrown weapon."

"Blast it!" cursed Dr Drakken.

"I think not," interrupted Ranma. "And I'll have that back now," he added, and made a come-hither motion with his finger at the weapon.

The cylinder suddenly ripped from Dr Drakken's hands and flew at Ranma, activating in mid air.

For show, Ranma did some impressive spins, twirls and slashes with the blade once it returned to his grip. The display was made more impressive because of the pale blue glow of the energy blade.

"Great, you just _had_ to egg on a freakin' JEDI, didn't you, _Drew_?" growled Shego once she managed to scrape her jaw from the floor. And now she had to fight him in addition to little-miss-cheerleader and her idiot sidekick … it was high time she asked for a raise.

"A Jedi might be a slight exaggeration," admitted Ranma. "sure, I might be able to predict your every move, read your surface thoughts, react and move faster than normal, detect the presence of living beings, move objects without touching them and fire off and deflect energy attacks, but that just makes me one of the _best_ martial artists on Earth, not a Jedi … or does it?"

To be honest, this was the first time he had really drawn connections between his skills and those of a Jedi, and he was surprised how close they came … but then, he could do a couple of things the Jedi couldn't … he could teleport, crush boulders with his finger, lift several tons with minimal train, store several tons of stuff in folded space around his person and possibly never really run out of energy because he was so in tune with the energies around him. He could also change form and gender … now, how many Jedi could do that? If there had been any, he was certain they would at least have been mentioned in the movies …

Leaning back on instinct, Ranma narrowly avoided getting his face kicked in by the green woman.

"No need to get prissy, missy," scolded Ranma. "Is it _that_ time for you, or something?"

"None of your bee's wax, bozo," snarled Shego. "Now stay still so I can crush you like a bug against a windshield!"

"Fat chance," snorted Ranma and back flipped away from the incoming glowing claw. "I didn't become one of the best by letting amateurs like you get to me!"

"What did you call me?" snapped Shego and stopped to glare at the dark-clad martial artist.

"An amateur," repeated Ranma. "Granted, you could probably whoop half the world's Masters, but I'm still out of your league by so much that with your current training regime, you'd never be able to catch up in a thousand years!"

Shego was not about to have some punk kid, no matter how handsome or built, insult her hard earned skills, and lunged at him with an inarticulate scream.

Halfway there the girl, Kim, dropped down between them and started fighting her again, even if Shego tried to get by her and attack Ranma, who was giving Dr Drakken a hard stare to discourage him from trying to get the box back again.

The half a dozen thugs in red had been rendered unconscious while Ranma fought Shego, and the blonde kid, Ron, was shouting encouragements at Kim, while conversing with a pink animal on his shoulder … a naked mole rat, who seemed to understand what it was told, and replied in monosyllabic words … Smart pet.

After shoving the blue scientist back from trying to get by him, Ranma suddenly connected the boy to something he heard before.

This guy could almost be the warrior Master Sensei talked about … if he wasn't so clumsy … no, Master Sensei said he was … but if he has these _Mystical Monkey Powers_, why doesn't he use them? The only fighting he's done so far, was the fight against embarrassment from having to stand around in his boxers. And from the way he was fighting the blushing, and his comment as he lost his pants, this kind of thing happened a lot. What kind of fighting wonder was that?

What amazed Ranma more about the guy, was that he didn't seem to get _distracted_ with the two well-arranged women bouncing around the room in semi-mortal combat. It was only through very strenuous control that Ranma himself kept his interest from showing, as he also did when Beebee, Gina, Brianna or Lydia tried to seduce him … he often regretted not taking advantage of the offers, as all men in his situation would, but he knew he wouldn't respect himself in the morning if he had given in …

After about ten minutes of no progress in the fight, Ranma decided it was time to end it.

"Okay, Time out!" called Ranma, and made the appropriate hand gesture, which was to form his hands into a T shape.

As he did, everyone froze … although none of them seemed to want to.

"I've had enough of this," lectured Ranma sternly. "I'm going to take the box, and return home. You guys can fight amongst yourselves once I'm gone, because this is just too childish!"

"You're not going anywhere!" exclaimed Kim, clearly not aware of that he was the rightful owner of the box. "That box is going back to the bank that Shego stole it from, and they are going to jail! You'll just share their punishment if you walk away with something that doesn't belong to you!"

" Hold it, Kim! " interrupted a voice from the girl's pocket. " Let me get a look at this guy. "

"I can't move, Wade," grunted Kim, annoyed at her predicament. "Something's holding us all in place."

"That would be me," interrupted Ranma. "Wouldn't want you to do something stupid, like trying to fight me. But if you really only need to pick that communication gadget out of your pocket, I'll allow it."

"Hey, guy, could you, like, float my pants down?" asked the boy, Ron. "I'm in the mood for some snackage and there are some mini-corndogs in my pockets."

Ignoring the asinine question, Ranma allowed one of Kim's arms to move to lift the item from her pant pocket.

" Just a little more to the right, " directed the boy on the other end of the communications device. " Perfect! Scanning his image onto the net … "

"And?" asked Kim, "Who is he, and how is he holding us in place?"

"He's a Jedi! Weren't you paying attention?" stated Ron, as though it was obvious. "George Lucas was right! They _do_ exist! But, wait … he's stealing that box … Jedi are good guys, and good guys don't steal … Gaaah! He's a _Sith_! _Look at his clothes_! Jedi wear lighter colours!"

"Ron! The guy's not a Jedi _or_ a Sith!" interrupted Kim, not prepared to listen to more of this ranting. "What's the deal, Wade?"

" Well, his file exists, but it's highly classified for some reason, " stated the boy on the other end, Wade. " It would take some really _mad_ skills to hack into those computers unnoticed – done! " exclaimed Wade. " His name is Ranma Koki, formerly Ranma Saotome. He's an extremely talented fighter, according to this file. "

"Talented, how?" asked Kim. Everyone seemed very disgruntled at being held in place like this.

" Talented, like Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Bruce Lee combined and multiplied infinitely! " explained Wade. " This guy's been responsible for levelling two mountains in Asia alone, using no modern tools, and both times while fighting some magical guys. He makes the Mystical Monkey Powers seem very tame, and is the son of one of Japan's most notorious criminals. "

"So he _is_ a _Sith_!" exclaimed Ron in fearful triumph.

" Not really, Ron, " corrected Wade. " According to these files, he holds honour above all, and wouldn't be caught dead doing something really bad. He is also responsible for putting his own father back in jail only a week ago. He was rewarded by the Emperor for his actions, but the files do not say what his was … "

"Then why is he here, stealing this box?" asked Kim, giving Ranma a glare for good measure for holding them all there, and for being so contradictory to the government files.

"It's _my_ box," interrupted Ranma, before this conversation could go any further. "I'm here to retrieve it."

"That's a load of bull," argued Ron. "We heard Dr D say what the box contained … blueprints, and you don't exactly look like the scientist type, dude. You're only, what, a year older than I am?"

"Appearances can be deceiving," countered Ranma. "I'm not saying I'm the greatest scientist, but what I do, I do very well … I know only a handful of people on this planet better than me in any of my skills, but then, I've hardly met everyone on the planet."

" He's right, Ron, " agreed Wade. " He has been nominated for the award of Scientist of the Year for his invention of the Stuff-Space generator, a small device that is capable of folding space within a container so it can fit twenty times as much as it normally would. It's small, nearly invisible when attached to the container, and best of all, it doesn't pollute at all … the only energy source it requires is the body heat your body casts off to its surroundings. "

"Sooo, this guy's a super genius fighter?" concluded Kim, not really all that interested in the how and why of this situation.

" In short, yes, " conceded Wade.

"What now, then?"

"Simple," replied Ranma. "I beat the crap out of these two for stealing from me and endangering the universe, then we hand them over to the authorities."

"Okay …" said Ron slowly. "Soooo, could you let _us_ go now? I'm starting to get really hungry and the mini-corndogs' expiration date runs out tomo- OW! Stop that! _My face is not a laundry-basket_!"

* * *

Author's Notes; As mentioned in the disclaimer, I earn no money from writing this story, but (and do not take this seriously) I will not say no to _donations_ … just keep in mind that I don't smoke alcohol, or drink cigarettes …

Another chapter reread, and as before, only superficial changes were made, such as rearranging a sentence or two to make better sense of them, or adding italics to some words for emphasis.

The part where I wrote "The two were simply not fit enough for the manual labour required to erect buildings. Decorate, clean and maintain, most definitely, but not construction" was not meant to be a sexist remark, and if any women or girls out there felt slighted at this remark, I apologise. It was not meant in that manner, but simply a statement of their physical strength being inadequate for the labour needed to build the house.

If anyone feels I am being too apologetic, (hehehe) I apologise. I realise that people can get offended easily, and I simply wish to "cover my bases" by apologising in advance or for a previous act. I don't want people to abandon reading this story only because something I wrote offended them. I guess this stems from not getting much recognition in real life … not that I desire it, but I don't really like rejection.

Credits; The idea for the User Recognition device was given by Neon King 4. I toned down the device used in Judge Dredd, because it could be potentially dangerous to innocents if the weapon blew up or delivered a shock, Ranma would of course recognise the dangers in having exploding devices, and would of course try to prevent that. Changes were made to the explanation of the disadvantages of teleportation, on the suggestion by AzureSky123.


	24. Chapter 24

Reposted Thursday March 8th 2007

* * *

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

It was starting to get late when the black car landed in the yet-to-be-planted garden of Ranma's property.

Ron Stoppable, as the emphatic and annoying blonde boy was called, was apparently a buffoon, as the blue man, Dr Drakken, had said. He had been talking non-stop about how amazing and unbelievable what Ranma had done was. His naked mole rat, Rufus, who seemed a lot more intelligent than the owner, would squeak and chatter his agreements now and again with disyllabic words as opposed to the monosyllabic words he had gotten out in the boat, and even went as far as to simulate some sound effects to make Ron's retelling of the events even more entertaining.

Ranma did not find this amusing. That fight had been much too easy … it made him realise just how much better he was than anyone he had fought until now … heck, with his new techniques, he would be able to beat down Herb and Saffron with ease, and take care of Happosai, Cologne and Taro as a cool-down. It scared him that he had gotten that powerful … though he'd never admit to it. How much stronger would he then be in full feline form if his human form was as powerful as it was now? According to what he had learned of other werecreatures, they were at their most powerful in full beast form, and the weakest in human form … that meant he was now _very_ powerful in his other forms. He could probably claim to be a god, and have the strength and power to back it up for a while … well, it had to stop, if only until he found a worthy adversary … that much power was an awful amount of responsibility, and he had no intention of proving the old saying "_Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely_" … he would have to set limits that he was not to cross unless he was faced with mortal combat.

The first limit he would have to set, was to restrain his telepathy for truly dangerous situations. Such as convincing the enemy that they could pass, or make the enemy forget they had seen you … he was after all a Martial Artist, and it was mostly cheating if you could read not only the body language and energy flow of the opponent but also read their minds … so telepathy was only to be used in a dire emergency … life-or-death type situations.

The next limit would have to be not to freeze the opponent by means of telekinesis … again, unless it was very necessary. Such things as redirecting projectile attacks to crash harmlessly into the ground or high into the air was of course not so severe a use of the technique as to restrict it, but making the enemy fly away _was_- … hmmm, maybe he _could_ use telekinesis _to fly himself_ … he would have to come back to that idea at a later time.

Most of the techniques he learned from his latest sensei would have to be restrained for more serious situations … though … Clairvoyance had very few uses for battle situations, as it left the user vulnerable to attacks. It didn't really need to be restrained, except for situations where the subject of his scrutiny was in need of privacy. And Aura Shield wasn't really an offensive technique, so it didn't need restriction … it would be useful against Ryoga, Herb or Saffron if they ever found and wanted to fight him again.

Ranma turned his reflections away from his moral questions, and to his guests.

The young friend of Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable had been unable to arrange for a transport back to America until the next day, and an organisation called Global Justice was to pick up Shego and Dr Drakken from the Japanese authorities about the same time. In that capacity, Ranma had offered the two teens lodgings in his newly finished home, though it was not decorated or properly moved into, and he would personally take them back to this place on the west coast called Middleton.

This was Ranma's opportunity to return to his friends a few days sooner than originally planned, and it would probably be fun … provided Ron could keep his mouth shut. If that boy kept talking for the entire ride, Lydia was likely to try and kill him to get a moment of silence.

Ranma hoped his mother and the others would be able to get by without him once he left … there was an awful lot of things that needed to be moved, and several things needed to be bought, like stoves, washing machines, dish washers … unless Nodoka planned on having the clothes and dishes all washed by hand while cooking over an open fire … and then there were things like beds, sofas, and tables … all of which Ranma was perfectly capable of making on his own, but still needed the materials and time to do so.

The house was dark, which suggested that there were no one in at the moment, so Ranma let himself and his guests in.

He brushed off their questions of the sudden disappearance of the car, stating that he was entitled to his secrets.

Ron was the only one of the duo plus naked mole rat who did not grasp this concept, and kept asking despite Ranma's refusal to answer him.

The inside was filled with boxes, and luckily enough, several lamps had been installed, making illumination possible.

"I'm hungry!" whinged Ron suddenly, punctuated by an angry rumble from his stomach.

"Uh-huh!" agreed his small furless companion, who looked positively weak from starvation.

Kim groaned at the impolite behaviour of her team-mate. He could be so crude and rude some times …

"I guess I could order out …" mused Ranma. "I doubt mom's had any time to shop for food today …"

"Uh! Bueno Nacho! _Bueno Nacho_!"

"What is a Bueno Nacho?" Ranma asked Kim quietly, while Ron and Rufus were salivating at the dream of the food of their choice.

"It's a Mexican Fast-food chain," summed Kim up. "Spicy foods mostly, tacos, nachos, nacos, chimeritos … stuff like that … Ron and Rufus practically live in one of their locations back home."

"How upset would it make him if I decided to somewhat spice up his diet with something else?" asked Ranma, feeling pretty confident that there were no such food place in this area.

"You'd be branded as Evil Incarnate by him, and he would possibly never speak with you again," replied Kim, looking almost fearful of the possibility. After a moment, comprehension set in. "There's no Bueno Nacho around here, is there?" she asked in a very quiet whisper, nearly low enough to be unheard and only understood by lip reading.

Ranma shook his head, confirming her fear.

"Oh, boy …"

"What are you talking about over there?" asked the blonde boy, with suspicious curiousity. "Not plannin' on doing some _kissing_, are you?"

"Ron!" exclaimed Kim. "Just because we kissed _once_ doesn't mean you _own me_! You said it yourself that us being a couple would ruin the team! You let me go, so who I kiss or not is _none of your business_!"

"This is about the food, isn't it?" deadpanned Ron. "Hey, if you don't want a naco, you can order something from the _kiddie menu_, but there's no need to throw a tantrum about it."

"_Stop changing the subject_!" snapped Kim. "You were jealous of me for not including you in the conversation with Ranma, and brought up something that happened because you thought _Monique_ actually flirted with you-"

"_Which – she – did_." Added Ron defensively and crossed his arms with a huff.

"-then when I try to confront you about your feelings, and you just turn it around to it being me who is the insensitive one! Well, guess what! There _is_ no Bueno Nacho around here!"

"I am _not_ trying to change the subject!" huffed Ron, crossing his arms defensively. "And what do you mean there's no Bueno Nacho? There's like millions of them all over the world! You can hardly throw a rock without it hitting a window at one! It's like Starbucks! At least one per city block! Heck, I'm sure they've even got a Bueno Nacho on the moon!"

"I'm sorry," interrupted Ranma. "But if you insist on fighting, I'm going to have to ask you to take it to the dojo, that's what it's there for. As for the food, the only American food you get in this part of town would be from that burger place … what's-its-name … has this clown in a yellow and white prison uniform for a company mascot …"

"No Bueno Nacho?" gasped Ron, as though he had just learned there was an asteroid headed for that exact spot, and there was no chance for escape. "That is unacceptable! You'll just have to drive around until you find one!"

"Ron, you can't just demand that our host run out to get you your Naco-fix from what might be on the other end of a very major metropolis!" hissed Kim. "We're guests in his home, and are in no position to make demands! There is no Bueno Nacho, _deal – with – it_!"

During the argument, Rufus the naked mole rat had scurried away from his owner, and sought refuge with Ranma.

"Are they always like this?" asked Ranma.

"No," squeaked the rodent sadly.

"They have history together?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Do _you_ mind that we have to get something else to eat?"

"Sorta' …"

"_Can_ you have something else to eat?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Okay, I'll just leave the room to call in my order … could you keep an eye on the two?" asked Ranma. "Bite them if they start turning violent … I just finished building this house, and I don't want to have to patch it back up again for a while."

"Yessir!"

With that, Ranma left the room to call in an order to the nearest pizza place, figuring it would be better to get at least _that_ … pizza had a bigger potential for being spicy than hamburgers, so maybe he could have the pizza place make the pizza in a Mexican style. One thing was for certain … he ate a lot, Ron apparently ate a lot, and then there were five women to take into consideration as well … twelve large pizzas should be enough, and if not, he could pop down to the drive-through of the burger place he could not remember the name of at the moment … maybe get Rufus a little, oh, what was it called … Merry-meal? Joyous-meal? Blissful-meal? _Argh_! The menu with the cheap toy.

"Hello? American Pizza?" asked Ranma into his cell-phone. "Great! I need twelve large pizzas delivered four blocks north of your establishment to the newly built house- … yes I'm the owner … no, this is not a prank call … well, I want four with jalapeño, taco-spiced beef, crushed taco shells and corn … Yes, I'm serious … on the next four, I want the Hawaiian-style topping, sans the pineapple. I cannot stress this enough, no pineapple. If there is one minute piece of pineapple on any of the pizzas, I will personally come down there and demonstrate how I levelled the old building that stood where I am now, understood? Good … On the next two pizzas, I want bacon, mini-meatballs, chilli, and extra cheese … yes, I'm aware of the rumours of that stuff clotting up the arteries, but I'll chance it … the next single one, I want squid, shrimp, tuna, mushrooms and paprika … yes, it may be unusual … on the last pizza, I want nothing but standard topping, beef and cheese … how much? Twenty thousand yen? That sounds a little steep, but okay … what? Delivery within half an hour or it's free? Very well. Thank you, good bye!"

Ranma really disliked ordering something over the phone, especially food. Those operating the phones were usually earning minimum wage, and were very grumpy over being under-paid and over-worked, and had a tendency for taking out that rage at anyone who would listen … he was just lucky that he was in a position to get the operators fired, or they would have blamed him for their unfair working conditions. And if the delivery person actually was late in dropping off the food, it was very likely that they knew the cost would be deducted from their pay, and sought to exact some kind of revenge on the customer, possibly by doing something unsanitary to the food … sigh … the sacrifices he made for friends, family and guests. He just hoped the grumpy employees didn't defy him and put pineapples on the pizzas despite his threat … after all the pineapple bombs he had been exposed to during his time at Furinkan, the tropical fruit was very unappetising to him …

The argument in the living room had luckily ended by the time Ranma returned, but the two teens were sitting in opposite ends of the room, deliberately avoiding looking at the other. In the middle, Rufus was making agitated chatter noise, trying to get the two to make up again.

"Well, I've ordered some takeout …" announced Ranma, not really knowing what to say.

"Did you order me a Grande-sized Naco and Big-gulp?" asked Ron, turning his attention to Ranma.

"No, I called out for pizza … it was the only thing I could think of that delivered," replied Ranma. "But, in the spirit of compromise, I had a Mexican theme on four pizzas, as spicy as I could think of at the time."

Ron, obviously insulted, huffed and turned around again.

"Don't mind him," said Kim in a resigned tone. "He'll come around after-"

"Ranma? Are you in?" called a female voice.

"Yes, mom!"

Nodoka entered the living room with a box marked "kitchen utensils" in her arms.

"Everything okay at the bank?" asked the redhead and gave her son a light peck on the cheek as she moved to get to the kitchen with her box.

"It will be, once they upgrade their security," replied Ranma with a hint of a threat. "Some green woman with glowing hands-"

"Shego," added Kim as she approached.

"Thank you," thanked Ranma absently. "This Shego person simply walked in, cut the bars down from the vault door, and ripped out my safety deposit box without anyone stopping her or even setting off the alarm, if I understood the situation right … only after the woman had left did someone discover the gaping hole where my box had been."

"Ranma," Nodoka's voice was stern, suddenly. "Where are your manners? You haven't introduced me to our guests."

"Oh, I'm sorry," apologised Ranma. "But where are the others?"

"Ranma!"

This was the only warning Ranma got before Lydia and Beebee bowled him over in a double over-enthusiastic tackle-hug.

"It seems your fiancées missed you, son …" commented Nodoka slyly, shifting the box in her arms. "How about they show you how much?"

"NO!" denied Ranma. He immediately regretted doing so as passionately as he did, because Lydia and Beebee started looking hurt. If there was one thing that could still make Ranma go weak, it was a crying girl, and he did not want it to get that far. "I mean, this is not the time or place! We have guests!"

"Who you have yet to introduce us to," reminded Nodoka sternly, though the tone was milder than it normally would have, due to the combination of new guests and the sight of her son being manly.

"Sorry," apologised Ranma again, and managed to push himself to his feet, the two women still attached to his torso. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable, and his pet, Rufus. Guys, this is my mother, Nodoka Koki," with a hand gesture, he indicated his mother. "On my left, we have Beebee, and on my right, Lydia McKraken."

"Beebee?" asked Ron, cringing. "She's not a killer robot, is she?"

"Oh no!" squeaked Rufus, and dove into the pant pockets of Kim, Ron having to borrow a pair that had no pockets.

"Only if someone hurts my Ranma-sama!" cooed Beebee, and nuzzled Ranma's neck. After the two had learned about Ranma's exempt from marital laws, she had been more forward with her emotions towards Ranma, as had Lydia … Ranma had gotten used to it, more or less.

"So she _is_ a robot?" affirmed Kim.

"Only technically!" protested Beebee. "On the inside, I'm a sensuous woman in love …" this statement was finished with a purr.

"She used to be a bit bomb, but her creator upgraded her to an android … I think …" explained Ranma.

"What about _her_?" asked Kim, indicating Lydia.

"I'm a ninja, formerly in the service of an evil old man … but then I met Ranma," answered Lydia, also nuzzling into Ranma, but threw a glare at Kim that clearly warned her about trying anything with the person she was clinging to.

"A ninja?" asked Ron. "Did you go to Yamanouchi?"

"No …" drawled Lydia slowly, wondering why he asked. "But Nodoka did."

"What?" asked Ron, looking the elder woman over. "No way, she doesn't look anything like a ninja …"

"Young man, not only was I one of the graduates of Yamanouchi, I was a Swords Mistress as well, and thought to be the next worthy to receive Mystical Monkey Powers," replied Nodoka sternly, setting the box down. "But it seems that it was not meant to be …"

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that …"

"Anyway, the two women standing in the door are sisters, Nabiki and Kasumi Tendo. They are unofficially adopted addition to the Koki family …" continued Ranma before things got too far off track. "I've invited Kim and Ron to stay the night, and take them home in the morning … which means I will not be here to decorate the house, I'm sorry, mom."

"No apologies necessary, son," assured Nodoka. "I will try to keep the decorations from getting out of hand … am I to assume that you will be sharing your Master bedroom with your fiancées?"

Ranma shuddered for a moment. He didn't really know what to think … the past week or so had been safe because he had spent the nights on the couch, in a different room than Beebee and Lydia, and thus had some amount of control over the situation … if he shared a room with them, he would not remain a virgin for very long. From what he had been told by the women he had shared a home with for the past days, that _might_ not be such a horrifying experience as he had initially been lead to believe … according to his mother, Lydia, and surprisingly Kasumi, it was quite an enjoyable experience, one that should be relived as many times as his body could handle.

Ranma knew his mother had the ulterior motive of wanting grandbabies, and would therefore not try to point out any drawbacks or pains involved … but Kasumi had no such ulterior motive, and Ranma had a very difficult time trying to accept the concept of Kasumi not being a virgin, though to whom she had given herself, he didn't dare ask … his idyllic image of her had already been rocked a great deal when he heard her proclaim in tandem with Nodoka and Lydia how good the act of _making love_ could be, if he found out who the man was Ranma was likely to track him down and try to permanently _put out his light_ for _daring_ to befoul such a pure and beautiful woman as her. She was a living saint, an angel descended to Earth. Had she not been such a maternal figure, Ranma was certain he would long ago have tried to do as the unknown man he so loathed for plucking Kasumi's flower. But, was this jealousy rearing its head?

"YES!" exclaimed Lydia and Beebee in response to Nodoka's question before Ranma could reply, and tightened their hold on him, giving each other slightly peeved glances for having to share, but as they had secretly come to agree upon, they would not be like Ranma's previous fiancées and treat him like a prize to be won … if he could not decide, they would share him until such time that he chose.

* * *

The following morning, a tired Ranma pulled his car from stuff space after a hearty, traditional Japanese breakfast.

Ron and Kim were very impressed with the feat of pulling a vehicle from nothing, as they had not been looking when Ranma was stowing it away the night before. Ron was still sulking about not having any Naco or Chimurito for dinner, but tried not to look like it.

Beebee and Lydia were very perky, practically beaming … Ranma, however, was looking very tired, not having gotten a wink of sleep for the entire night of being sandwiched between two beautiful women. He expected the other proverbial shoe to drop, and wasn't able to find rest because of it.

"Take care, son," said Nodoka seriously. On the surface, no trace of emotion could be seen, but Ranma could read her well enough to tell she was very sad at being separated from her only child once more.

"I'll be back before you know it, mom," consoled Ranma and hugged his mother tightly. "Take care of Nabiki and Kasumi, and don't forget yourself, okay?"

"Of course, Ranma."

Smiling more confidently than he felt in the face of the long journey and the return to his sensei, Ranma climbed into the driver's seat. Kim, Ron, Beebee and Lydia also climbed in, but there was a brief scuffle for the passenger seat. Ron was assigned to it so there would be no quarrels or grudges between Lydia and Beebee.

To the astonishment of the watching neighbours, the car lifted off the ground before the wheels turned vertically until they were horizontal, and started emitting a glowing light from the caps. With no more sound than a whisper of displaced air, the car took to the skies, heading into the rising sun.

* * *

Ryoga was content despite his quest to worsen Ranma's afterlife for the suffering he had caused him.

He and Akane had been travelling for quite a while now, and they had gotten together early on … to that end, there had been no need to get a second tent for her. This had saved some time and effort in packing and unpacking, leaving some time to other things, such as training or even cooking … the last was far more dangerous to his health than the first, despite how dangerous training might be.

He had quickly managed to convince Akane that she didn't have to do the cooking … though he didn't have the heart to tell her that she was making poison when she did, he couldn't stand her food for long before he couldn't survive it any more, and he knew it … thus the boy had taken on the responsibility of cooking for them both on his own.

"Is that a U.F.O.?" asked Akane out of the blue from where she entered the clearing they were spending the night in, carrying the stack of wood they would use to cook breakfast.

Ryoga looked up and saw a dark shape cross the sky. Shading his eyes, he could make out the outline of a … car …

"No, it's just some rich snob out for a joyride …" he grunted. Those people didn't have any consideration for travellers or the environment … a car that could fly was most likely a very big consumer of fossil fuel, and the exhaust from such a heavy use would only help in killing the globe. "Bet it's Ranma's fault …"

* * *

In the car, Kim and Ron were very surprised when as soon as they came out over water, the speed picked up significantly. They had not travelled this fast the last time they had been in it, and had not exactly been in the right state of mind to notice much from their surroundings after the shocking display Ranma made of his fight. Kim kept her questions to herself, knowing that she would not understand the techno-babble that her asking would lead to … unfortunately, Ron was not as smart.

"So, what kind of mileage do you get on this thing?"

"What do you mean?" asked Ranma, consulting his onboard computer, which functioned as a Global Positioning System. It wouldn't do to get off course, so checking on the course every now and again was prudent.

"I mean, what kind of gas do you use, and how far do you get on the gallon?" clarified Ron, leaning over to see the monitor to check on what was so interesting.

"I don't use any gas or fossil fuels of any kind … I use energy and springs."

"Springs?" asked Ron in a panic. "Are you saying that all that is keeping us in the air, high above the surface of the ocean and far from shore is a spring and a battery?"

"No … there are several springs, and they are perfectly capable of propelling this car over _sand dunes_ at speeds of eighty miles an hour … we, the living persons in this car, are giving the batteries of the car power to keep the springs within a certain tautness and to add to it, we are giving the car an extra boost of a couple of times sonic speed … the energy from the air and sun is what is keeping the car above the ground."

There was a moment of silence as Ron tried to accept this.

"You mean this car is sucking us dry?"

Ranma groaned … couldn't this kid shut up?

"No," Ranma replied. "It is only absorbing what energy your body is giving off to its surroundings … the energy within you will not be touched unless someone is careless in the production and programming of the chips, which I never am because of the potential danger."

"Soooo … does this thing have a radio?"

"No."

"DVD?"

"No."

"Internet?"

"No."

"Video games?"

"Do I have to kill you to shut you up?" growled Lydia at Ron. This would normally not intimidate Ron, but the kunai poised to jab through his jugular had the desired result.

Ranma looked back at Lydia through the rear view mirror, a stern furrow of his brow very noticeable.

"Sorry," sighed Lydia. "I shouldn't have threatened anyone …"

Ranma nodded in satisfaction. Imagine, he was able to be stern with women! Not two months earlier, he was run over by them on a daily basis, and now he managed to command at least one by a mere look! Granted, it wasn't much of a command, and it was more a common courtesy to apologise after threatening someone's life, but still, it was a big step up from how his life had been in Nerima.

"Don't be," Kim assured Lydia. "Ron, stop being _you_, and take a nap."

* * *

In Atlanta, Lord Erwin "Peewee" Talon was approaching divine levels of ire.

All his henchmen had been on the case of the missing samples and data for well over a week, with nothing to show for it at all. It was as if the samples and data had simply _vanished_, something that should not be possible … someone had _assisted_ in the disappearance, and he intended to find out who, why and how to get back at them ten fold.

He had scoured the house for clues, searching every nook and cranny, top to bottom, inside and out … he blamed Daishi for the mess made out of his mother's underwear drawer, and Ionis was stuck with the responsibility for the mess in the secret collection of hardcopy pornography Peewee's father had hidden in his office … it was good to be the boss, as he could just shove responsibility for negative events on his subordinates.

Looking over the reports his primary team of henchmen had given him about the sample-gathering mission, Peewee realised that the sample must have come from what the reports described as the three ninja that interfered with the gathering … ninja were supposed to be stealthy … maybe one of those ninja had realised that he had a sample from one of them, and retrieved it from him before he could do anything significant with it. But if that was the case, why then could not Daishi find traces of them? Wasn't Daishi supposed to be the best? Wasn't that how he got his title?

That meant there was a possibility that his henchman was lying … or someone better had not tried to claim the title of the best, and had somehow gotten into his house.

Had there been magic involved, Ionis, with his genetic enhancements, should have easily detected it, or at the very least found a trace of residue magic at the scene.

Peewee had to come to terms with the fact that there was little he could do to retrieve the samples.

That meant there was only one thing left to do … he would have to retrieve new samples, and the only place he knew he could find some, was the Diggers' residence. From the accounts of his henchmen, the three ninja seemed to be after Ranma as well, which meant they might be after him still … maybe he should mount another mission with all of them … first he needed to get Ionis out of the healing tank, where he was recovering from the beating he got when Zelda found out how perverted he had been, and had denied it, saying that he had no need for porn when _she_ was dressed as she was …

* * *

It was getting dark when a black car with a silver outline of a paw on its hood touched down on the front lawn of the residence of the younger Diggers.

The stop in Middleton had been brief, something Ranma was glad for … Ron had not shown any signs of having forgiven him his choice in dinners the night before, and as such had remained frosty towards everyone for the remainder of the trans-pacific journey after having been told to take a nap. As soon as they had landed in Middleton, the "Kimmunicator" had gone off, and this kid Wade had been insistent enough in making Ranma promise to visit some time in the not to distant future so they could discuss their inventions.

The landing had not gone unnoticed, and soon people were pouring from the house to greet the arrivals.

"Ranma!"

With barely enough time to flinch, Ranma was tackled from the side of the car and into the ground by two enthusiastic blondes, who insisted on reminding him of their impressive assets by grinding them into him.

Desensitised as he had started to become to the sense of danger that had previously accompanied the act of physical intimacy of any kind from the female sex, Ranma could not help but be a little skittish … Beebee and Lydia may have come to an agreement between them that kept them from fighting each other over him, but as far as he knew this agreement did not apply to anyone else, which meant chaos would erupt– hey, why was their mother at their place instead of at home?

"Hello," he said flatly. Frankly, he was confused … his body was responding to the attention he was getting despite his best efforts, and had it not been for the pants he wore over his mage suit, it would have been visible to all. "I take it someone missed me?"

"What gave you that idea?" asked Lydia. "The two women attached to you, grinding their breasts into your sides and sliding their legs along yours, or the welcoming smiles of Mrs Diggers and the others?"

"A combination of the two," groaned Ranma theatrically as he got up, making a spectacle of bringing the two women with him. When he was back on his feet, Ranma changed into hybrid form and stretched as much as he could with the two, now taller, women hanging on to him. "It's good to be back!"

He was suddenly the victim of another two women, who attached themselves to him … why would Beebee and Lydia react like this? Was his pheromone levels that significantly different from his human form?

Because he was so distracted from the plentiful number of talents pressing into him and the number of hands he had to keep from undressing him in public view, Ranma did not notice the well endowed shadow that slinked away from a tree overlooking the property.

"How was your mother?" asked Mrs Diggers kindly.

"Very pleased about these two," replied Ranma, indicating Lydia and Beebee as well as he could. "Though she was disappointed when she learned that Beebee wasn't human … she's expecting Lydia and any other woman in my circle to pop out kids at any given moment so she has some grandkids to dote on. My father has been taken care of, and will not be a threat in the near future, and because of it the Emperor saw fit to _reward_ me …"

"What with?" asked a curious Mrs Diggers. It wasn't every day someone got rewarded for something by the ceremonial figurehead of the country. Though she also started imagining having grandbabies to dote on …

"Oh, a small sum of money …" sighed Ranma. "A piece of land … -cough-legal-cough-polygamy-cough-" the last bit was masked deliberately by a series of coughs … it was not a good thing to let the world know. Ranma internally shuddered in fear of what the Amazons would have done if they heard of that. Knowing them, they'd send in dozens of skilled warriors to breed with him so they would have a stronger tribe that could possibly conquer the entirety of the Jusenkyo area, followed by the rest of mainland China and possibly the world if it came to that.

Fortunately, no one could question him before his stomach rumbled loudly, drawing attention to his appetite.

"Maybe we should get started with supper?" suggested Mrs Diggers with a slight smile.

"I think that's a good idea," agreed Beebee emphatically.

"Yes," purred another voice from behind Mrs Diggers. "And maybe I can help serve his _appetites_ afterwards …"

Ranma looked around the many women embracing him to see Madrid sauntering towards them.

Now, Ranma may have had problems rejecting women, being as kind-hearted as he was … but there was something about Madrid that cried out to him that she was unworthy of trust … that she would sell his soul in exchange for her freedom … that she'd turn on him like a praying mantis the moment she believed he had served her needs.

"Sorry, no," replied Ranma, making certain everyone knew he was answering Madrid. "But I'd love something to eat, thank you."

* * *

Author's Notes; Another chapter reread, and this one contained surprisingly few errors compared to what I've covered thus far …

When I wrote Hardcopy Pornography, I did not mean Hard Core Pornography, I meant magazines and physical photographs, not digital … not that I am assuming that everyone will jump to this conclusion, but I like to make sure.

Small writing tip; It seems that several people have a problem distinguishing between "There" and "Their" while writing fanfictions. For those who find that there is no difference, please pay attention, for those who do not find this confusing, read and find yourselves amused at the expense of the uninformed. The word "Their" is the third person plural possessive determiner … or in simpler terms, it is used to mention the property, possessions, of more than one person. The word "There" is often used as the subject of the verb "Be" to say that something exists or does not exist, or to draw attention to it … you use "There" in front of certain verbs when you are saying that something exists, develops, or can be seen … whether the verb is singular or plural depends on the noun which follows the verb.

Credits; The idea of Ranma using Telekinesis to fly came from Shakeval, who has been more than generous in contributions of ideas in the past.

I would also want to thank everyone for reading and reviewing my story, though not everyone could contribute with a few strokes of brilliance … unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, there are too many of you out there to mention by name, so I hope you will accept this blanket appreciation.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

It was a sunny morning in the Dim Crag Mountains of Jade, the sky was mostly clear, and what few clouds there were, weren't the kind capable of raining on anyone's parade.

A gathering of energy on a rocky plateau overlooking a body of water signalled an incoming teleportation scroll.

"I appreciate the lot of you seeing me to Jade Realm, but I'm fine now …" appearing in the middle of the burst of energy, was a party of six, five of whom were women, Mrs Diggers was among them, and had been the one to speak. "I'd appreciate it if you used the second scroll to return to Earth Realm now, I'll be able to find my own way home."

The group certainly made an impressive sight, had there been anyone there to see it.

Mrs Diggers, Julia, wore what could only be called a risqué bathrobe in red with golden designs along the borders … the uniform, which she had claimed it to be, covered very little, leaving an extremely generous cleavage visible to all who saw it … actually, it looked like she was about to spill all, but some mysterious force was holding the two halves of the front together just enough to prevent that. The length of this robe extended barely past her bottom, which made it that much more … appealing to those attracted to the female sex. In her hand, Julia held a well-crafted rapier, which she had made herself in Gina's lab with the help of what was called the Micro-Nova 2, a forge that could synthesise any type of metal and burn with the heat six times that of an exploding sun. She had gotten to make a sword out of depleted uranium … the process of making that sword would normally have taken about five hundred years, but with the help of this forge it was done in five minutes. Ranma had remade his own sword in the same fashion, ensuring its safety should it fall into enemy hands that meant to destroy it … it would be nearly impossible to do so now.

Gina wore her normal expedition outfit, but wore a blue and green bodysuit with her initials over her right breast underneath the leather jacket instead of the bathing suit … this was after all a mostly unknown world to her, and she wasn't all that sure about how people would treat her sense of fashion … of course, after changing into her clothes, she had met her mother in her uniform, and thus didn't bother putting on something else. The only thing really out of the ordinary was that she was looking glossy-eyed at the sole full-fledged werecreature in hybrid form among them, but then, she always was boy-crazy … after her adoptive sister had opened her eyes to how she looked … all those years of repressing her hormones had made them catch up with her once she started releasing her hold on her emotions.

Brianna also wore a bodysuit, only hers was coloured purple and pale purple. If she had any initials printed on it, it could not be seen due to the purple light assault armour she wore. The backpack-mounted cannons were currently inactive, but carried with them an impressive array of weapons, ranging from high energy weapons to a non-lethal light-strobe with strong stunning capability. The backpack itself contained an Anti Gravity device, which made the entire setup weightless, and the targeting and firing process could be accomplished through voice command. She was alternating between looking with envy at Beebee and Lydia, to adoration at the man, to concentration at the conversation taking place.

Beebee wore a baby pink bodysuit with white stripes along her sides, and the banner "Caution; Content may be HOT!" printed across her chest in bold red letters. Resting on her shoulders were the same cannons she had taken on when she wished to discourage Ryan Tabbot from continuing his attack on Ranma oh-so-long ago, and resting in a holster on her right thigh was the same wicked gun she had fired to interrupt said attack. A new feature was the thick bracelet attached to her right wrist … it was silver in colour, but not material, and had a coloured gem attached to the middle of it, matching the colour of her outfit. She was the only one among the six that wasn't paying much attention to the conversation, her mind on the _very_ tempting offer given by Madrid last night … that, and she was enjoying the close contact she had with the only male of the group.

Lydia wore a black bodysuit with a build-in hood and mask, much like the stereotypic ninja outfit. Bandoliers were stretched out across her chest, riddled with pockets, and she had on a utility belt in addition to this. All of these pockets were lined with Stuff-Space generators, and contained weapons for and of various designs, ranging from light explosives to melee to blades and weighted ropes. The only part of her that was visible, apart from her fingers, was the area around her eyes. She was also the lucky occupant of the other half of the man's side.

Ranma was dressed in his mage suit, kung fu slippers and pants … he had no visible pockets or backpacks, and being the only male member of the group, and being a werecat, he stood out like a sore thumb. He was also tired, despite his solitary guest room and comfortable bed. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why he was more tired than he should be … he also seemed cleaner than when he had gone to bed, which was very mysterious … the only thing he could remember from the night was feeling very good, and tickled pink over something, but that must have been a dream … maybe he had been walking around in his sleep and cleaned himself before going back to bed.

"No way, mom!" exclaimed Brianna, and got a nod of agreement from the others. "You lost your title because of me! Because G'Nolga got the drop on me while I was sleeping and used me as a hostage – against _you_! It was because of me you couldn't fight back in that battle!" the youngest Diggers daughter struck a stubborn pose with her hands on her hips. "_So I gotta help you get your title back_!"

"Actually," cut Gina in cautiously, addressing her mother. "It's safe to assume that G'Nolga has massive resources, and no doubt she'll use them against you … even to prevent you from entering the tournament! You'll need all the help you can get to -" a gust of wind picked up, drawing attention once again to the skimpy outfit her mother was wearing. "Uhm … Mom? Isn't that outfit a bit … drafty?"

"Gina … Don't even _go_ there!" warned Julia sternly. "I'd really prefer _not_ to wear this, but I don't have a choice … it's the only way to get into Master Leep's Training Grounds. This "uniform" is his lecherous design."

The elder Diggers woman tugged at her uniform in an attempt to shrink the visible cleavage, but it was to no avail.

"Damn! I wish I could close this …" she muttered to herself.

"Master who?" asked Gina, puzzled at the unfamiliar name.

Julia gave up her futile efforts to make the uniform more decent and looked at the curious group.

"Master Leep. My old teacher," she explained. With one hand, she held the front of the uniform closed as much as she could while she continued her explanation. "The greatest Martial Arts instructor Jade has ever seen … but … he only instructs women …"

Seeing their disbelieving looks on the women, and the slight look of recognition on Ranma's face, she continued.

"I need his advice … well, specifically, I need to learn the "Renewing Breath" from him." Looks of confusion met this explanation. "It's a technique that triples a fighter's endurance. If truly mastered, one can _never_ tire … well, hardy ever. If I'm going to enter the tournament with all those young, vigorous opponents, I'm going to really need that technique!" with a tired sigh, she added. "He probably won't teach it to me, but I have to try …"

This was where Ranma started zoning out. He was mostly capable of this on his own … did that mean he knew that technique? Nah … he made up that skill on his own … with the help of a few manga and anime … and his transformation …

"The training grounds are hidden in a mountain valley up ahead," Ranma heard Julia say, and started paying attention again, as it sounded important. He noticed her pointing up the mountainside, and correctly assumed that was where she meant. "I'll be there for at least a day. If you insist on staying with me here on Jade, you'll have to camp out right here!" Ranma could hear the underlying threat clearly. "I'll be back for you after I've met Master Leep."

Gina was not happy with this plan … and neither were any of the others. Ranma was more experienced in these matters, and wasn't more pleased than them.

"But … but, mom," stuttered the scientist and archaeologist. "I – I don't think I like you going to some "Pervert Kung Fu Master" … especially all by yourself!"

"I'll be fine, dear," assured Julia, and turned to them all with a sad expression. "But as long as all of you stay right here and watch out for each other today … only students are allowed … and … I'd rather you _not_ see how Master Leep trains his pupils."

"Now I'm **really** against this!" interrupted Brianna stubbornly. "We're coming _too_!"

"This discussion is over," insisted Julia. "You are all to remain here, or depart for Earth Realm … clear?"

Silence met this question.

"**Clear**?"

With a collective and reluctant sigh, Brianna and Gina affirmed the question.

Satisfied that the group would do as told, Julia turned and started a light jog in the direction she had previously indicated.

Once she was out of hearing range, Brianna turned to Gina.

"What now?" she asked in a whisper, just in case their mother was not far enough away for them not to be overheard.

"Here …" replied Gina and fished a few items out of her pocket. One of these items was tossed to her sister. "My latest invention!"

The others also got one each.

"Huh?" asked Brianna as she looked the thing over. "What is it?"

The item in question looked a lot like a wristwatch.

Gina strapped one onto her own wrist, and smirked smugly.

"Cloaking Device," replied Gina with a loving tone. She was obviously proud of her achievement.

Ranma returned the device to a bewildered Gina.

"I can do without it," he explained, and suddenly disappeared from view. It might have been unethical to use this technique, but the wife of his sensei could be in danger, and it was his unspoken duty as a student to protect the family of his sensei, even from the fancy of perverted old men. He hoped no one would fault his logic.

The others activated the devices they had been given, and Ranma was surprised that he could suddenly not hear or smell them anymore. He could see them, but they were very faint, like a ghost, pale and see-through like a poorly printed overhead paper.

The ghostly Gina tried speaking to him, but realised that he could not hear her, even when she used a small radio transmitter. That and she couldn't see him, so she had no idea of where he was. She turned off her device.

"Ranma, where are you?"

"Right where I was," replied Ranma, giving the women a slight start. "If we are to catch up with your mother, we had better start soon, just lead the way, and I'll follow."

It must have been disconcerting to have a voice come out of thin air, but Gina handled it well.

Lydia latched onto the space where she had heard the voice, and thus latched onto Ranma. Heh, the others probably hadn't thought of this.

* * *

By the time the group caught up with Julia, she was bowing respectfully, if somewhat reluctantly, to an old, bald man with a grey moustache, nearly half her height, who was holding open the giant wooden gates. There was a bruise on Julia's left cheek, but she didn't seem worse for wear, and two women were seen retreating over on the other side of the gate.

Ranma was surprised … the man didn't seem to be half as bad as he was made out to be … he even seemed somewhat polite …

"-Fah!" the old man scoffed at something Julia had said. "Call me what you used to call me. Eh?"

"Sorry …" sighed Julia. "Ol' geezer … there's been a lot on my mi- EEEK!"

Ranma now realised why Julia thought of the man as she did, as he quickly goosed the woman and stepped away, out of reach.

"Ah … Mmm! Still firm and supple as ever. Heh!" Leep commented with perverted glee. "Hmm … Although you have yet to learn _never_ to take your eyes off me …eh? Guard can be relaxed. Guard can _never_ be let _down_." Though Ranma could not help but agree with the sentiment, the method of proving it was not to his tastes. It didn't seem to suit Julia's tastes either, as she whipped around to glare at her former master. "I, on _other hand_, have learned. _Always_ to keep out of _lunging_ range after I "instruct" Julia." The man finished in a small chuckle.

Surprisingly enough, Julia started chuckling as well. "One of these days, ol' geezer …" she promised.

The two proceeded through the gate, which closed behind them, coincidentally locking the party of five outside.

This had the effect of keeping them from hearing anything said on the other side.

Lydia had the solution, and jumped onto the wall, abandoning Ranma's side. She then pulled out a rope, which she dangled along the outside wall. As the rope extended beyond the reach of the image-reprocesser, it became visible, allowing those of the party not physically capable of jumping that high to scale the wall.

Once on top of the wall, the group was presented with a grand view of what could only be a garden.

A path of dirt led from the gate to a gazebo surrounded by neatly trimmed shrubbery, and Julia was walking with Master Leep towards it in conversation, though they were unable to hear what was being said from that distance.

By some stroke of luck, the thick stone wall came close to the gazebo further down, and the group managed to get there together, though Gina insisted on staying behind to look elsewhere. She mentioned something about keeping all your eggs in one basket … a sentiment Ranma agreed to after reading it on her ghostly lips, but the others would not let him go once they had managed to get a hold of his invisible form.

Ranma could see that Brianna was speaking into a radio, but due to the cloaking device, he couldn't hear her.

Not that it mattered, anyway. There were more pressing matters at hand … a female elf in the same green uniform Julia wore was creeping up on them, following their trail with a perplexed curiosity.

Unfortunately, there was nothing Ranma could do that would not tip off the elf to their presence, so he was forced to watch as Brianna suddenly noticed as well, and started to panic.

"That's odd … the trail ends here …" the elf commented to herself as she stopped just short of bumping into Brianna's left shin.

"Well, did you find anything, Kelith?" asked a coarse female voice from the ground before them. Ranma silently cursed himself for getting reckless and not paying enough attention to his surroundings … how could he have missed the patrol coming this close?

"Um … evidently not …" sighed the elf, Kelith. "The trail of those odd footprints led right here, but …"

"Hmph," grumbled the troll female at the foot of the wall. "Another elven _false alarm_."

"Still …" continued the elf without paying attention to the grumbled insult. "Something seems out of place here …"

Ranma could sense Brianna's panic as the elven hand drew closer and closer to her foot.

However, that didn't really compare to the shock the elf woman got when she made contact with a foot, causing the rest of Brianna to appear, as the image-reprocesser had been overloaded by the contact.

"Gh- GHOST!" Kelith screamed in panic, pointing to the newly appeared Brianna. "PHANTOM! MAGICIAN! WRAITH! HELP!"

This, needless to say, drew the attention of the rest of the elf's patrol.

"An intruder!" growled the troll woman. "An _invasion_! Sound the alarm! **THE SCHOOL IS UNDER ATTACK**!"

It did not take many moments for the heavy ringing of bells to start up, alerting the rest of the school, as well as anyone within a two kilometre radius, or more with the Ecko of the mountains, to the disturbance.

Had Brianna and Gina been alone on this trip with their mother, this would have been a disaster, as Brianna knew very little hand-to-hand combat, and would thus have a problem dealing with the strong troll and a fast elf. Gina herself was outside the danger area, and so could have escaped.

With three extra persons on her side, Brianna was left relatively alone.

True, the patrol of troll, elf and human had been slightly taken aback by the sudden appearance of a werecat, a ninja and another strange woman not unlike the first intruder apart from smaller charms and red hair, but they had assumed that they were protecting the captain of their assault force, and tried to find ways around the formidable trio to cut off the serpent's head … so to speak.

"Gina!" screamed Brianna into her radio. "We need an exit! We've got a lightning-quick elf and a half-nekkid she-troll on our tails!"

As she screamed this last bit, said troll got past Lydia and made a sizable dent in the ground near where Brianna had been standing, with a powerful stomp.

The elf tried to get around Beebee, only to get kept back by her red ponytail, which was being held firmly by Ranma.

Before his transformation, Ranma wouldn't have dreamt of doing something as underhanded as this, having been the owner of a pigtail … but after losing the braided lock of hair, he realised what a health-risk it was to have long hair in combat … it could be used to gain or lose leverage just as he had just done to the elf. It was a small wonder that _more_ people hadn't taken advantage of it in a combat situation …

The suddenly reversed momentum caused the elf to fall backwards, and crashed her head into the hard stone ground, knocking her silly.

Brianna and Beebee seemed to have similar ideas to each other, and sent concussive blasts at the troll simultaneously, giving her a double dose, which caused the female troll to stumble to her knees, looking like she was about to have a reunion with her breakfast.

Lydia caught up with the human woman of the patrol and knocked her unconscious as she tried to run for more help than the alarm would bring in, and faster.

It was at this time Gina came running with a gun that looked like it had a plunger attached to the end. This was the hypno-ray, and Ranma knew she had been looking forward to using it … too bad she didn't get the chance this time.

"Are you guys okay?" asked Gina as she came to a stop.

"Fine … though, I think I pulled something in that dodge … Ow!" commented Brianna.

"Then let's get going!" insisted Gina. "We have to get out of here before mom-"

"Ehem!" interrupted a stern sound from behind them.

"Zoinks!" exclaimed both Diggers daughters and turned to the noise to see their mother standing at the ready for an explanation, like only a mother can, tapping her foot and with her arms crossed under her chest, stern expression marring her face.

"You … all of you," started the angry maternal figure. "**Promised** me that you wouldn't come here! Now, what do you have to _say_ for yourselves?"

"Ehem!" interrupted another person, surprising Julia. "Actually, _you_ promised _me_ that you would _never_ return here …" Julia slowly turned her head to look over her shoulder at the speaker, nervous sweat starting to roll off her face. "But after slipping me a dose of "week-sleep" into my tea last night – I see you had different plans … dear …"

Standing mostly hidden in the shrubbery and in the shadow of a big tree, was none other than Ranma's newest sensei, Dr Theodore Diggers, imitating Julia's stern pose.

"Eheeheehee!" chuckled Master Leep. "This is going to be good!" he sing-songed in anticipation, while Julia gulped nervously.

* * *

"Raphiel? Are you sure you want to continue your training?"

Sheila was having a slightly better day than she had lately … they didn't have to patrol the city dump today, and Raphiel had asked if there was a possibility for more training, something she had been happy to offer, as there had been little time to train since they had supposedly fouled up the case of the disappearing magicians and this was also a chance to better herself.

Currently, she was facing the living golem werecheetah in the training arena of the Northern Edge Guard Head Quarters.

"W-well … I _think_ so, Sheila …" said the werecheetah uncertainly.

"Uh-uh!" protested Sheila. "You gotta _know_ so, Raphie! Okay, let's go over the basics again …"

With a bit of insecurity, Raphiel engaged in a sparring match with Sheila. They were both aware of being watched by Onoli and Tirga, who were on the balcony overlooking the training arena, which might be the reason Raphiel was nervous. He was aware of the weretiger being attracted to Sheila, and knew he was being watched with suspicion … Sheila could see it in the werecheetah's eyes and body-language.

Had it been two months ago, she would have reciprocated the attraction from Tirga, but had wanted the weretiger to make the first move … after meeting Ranma, she had slowly started to lose any feelings of attraction she used to have for Tirga.

To make matters even worse, she suspected the young, in terms of time since his creation, werecheetah was starting to fall for her.

Her theory was proven when Raphiel lost his balance as she tried to teach him proper footwork, dragging her down with him, and landing on top of her in a compromising position.

Had it been Tirga, she would have pounded the crap out of him for being a pervert and arranging for the accident, but Raphiel seemed so innocent that staying angry with him was near impossible … she just didn't feel attracted to him.

To keep him at ease, she made a joke of the entire deal, and laughed.

"I really like hearing you laugh, Sheila," commented Raphiel, winding down from his own bout of laughter. "You're so cute!"

If there was one thing he could have said to make her uncomfortable, this was it.

"W- why – thank you, Raphiel!" she stuttered. "T- That's so _sweet_ of you!" Sheila wiped some sweat from her forehead while thinking quickly for an excuse to get away for now. "W- well … it's almost time for the team meeting … I have to go …"

"Awww …" complained Raphiel.

"But you practice your balancing … we'll have another class tomorrow, okay?"

"Oh Boy!" exclaimed Raphiel with innocent enthusiasm. "Thanks, Sheila! I can't wait!"

"Neither can I, Raphie!" returned Sheila, trying to match his level of enthusiasm as she got up and started for the exit. "Bye!"

Relieved at getting away from the stressful situation, Sheila started whistling as she left the training arena, thinking about what she would do the next time she saw Ranma … he wouldn't know what hit him.

"Heh. You can be a nasty little _wench_ when you want to be, sis …" commented Gar, who was leaning against the wall outside, just where she would pass.

"What do you mean?" asked Sheila, knowing full well what her brother _thought_ she just did.

"You _know_ what I mean, Sheila. The way you were cozing up to Raphiel … being so "friendly" with him … doing everything you _could_ to raise the "Jealousy Factor" in Tirga …"

"Look, Gar …" started Sheila. "Raphiel doesn't think of me as a girlfriend … we're just buddies …"

"But!" interrupted Gar. "_Tirga_ doesn't understand relationships like _that_, Sheila … with him, it's either _lovers_ or _not_ lovers. To him, you and Raph look like _budding lovers_ …"

"Pheh! The guy doesn't know a real relationship when he sees one, how could he think I like Raph like _that_?"

"You can drop the act with me, sis," argued Gar. "You and I both heard how Tirga's heart-rate rose every time you touched Raphiel … you've had your fun giving him a taste of his own medicine, but it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt! Tell him how you feel before it's too late …"

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you, brother dear, but I don't have those feelings for that tomcatting weretiger anymore," replied Sheila in a huff.

"I don't believe you," argued Gar. "There's no way a couple of days with this Ranma character is enough for you to let go of Tirga like that!"

"_Gar_ …" groused a new voice.

The klak of wooden sandals against stone carried to their sensitive ears.

"What in Jade?" asked Gar as he turned to the source of the sound along with his sister.

"Wh- who are you?" asked Sheila, nearly forgetting the conversation she was having with her brother.

"My name does not matter," informed the man behind a crudely cut wooden mask. "Gar! Your sensei has returned to this realm … she needs you … and Jade needs her …"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute … I know this guy," chuckled Gar. "He almost had me going."

"How about filling _me_ in?" whispered Sheila. "What kinda freak wanders around in a grass skirt and a mystic's mask, clutching a pair of pineapples?"

And indeed, that was basically what the man looked like. It must have been a polite omission that kept Sheila from mentioning his massive gut. Seeing a fat guy in a grass skirt was not a pretty sight.

"You are forgiven for your ignorance, my loyal scrubjects …" declared the fat man in a booming voice. "Few have had the privilege of being in the presence of the one who rules Jade from the shadows … indeed … how could lowly scrubjects such as yourselves comprehend this realm's eternal, inenucleable Emperor at first sight? You need not bow to your knees … for I need no worship to sustain my inexhaustible _power_ … but heed my words, my little scrubblings, heed for the good of your world …"

Gar guided Sheila on past the half-naked fat man.

"Keep walking, Sheila … he's just that wandering lunatic prophet," said Gar. "I forgot his name … Sappo, Blabbo, Saggo … or something. Try not to make eye contact …"

"Ew, his breath stinks … even from behind that mask!" commented Sheila. "And how did he know your name?"

"Seek …" continued the fat man, calling out after them. "Seek out your sensei, Gar … Find Julia Diggers … Jade needs her …"

* * *

Back at Leep's training grounds, Julia and Dr Diggers were having a tense moment.

The silence between them had stretched for an uncomfortable length of time, and was due to break at any moment. The three women of the patrol had started to return to their senses again, but refrained from attacking because their Master was there and seemed to be handling things.

"I deceived you …" confessed Julia, having regained some steam during the silence. "And for _that_, I am sorry, Theo … but you would _never_ have understood if I'd told you I was going back to my old teacher after I promised you I wouldn't … I have to study here, Theodore … I have to learn from Master Leep the techniques I need to get through the Tournament of Arms and win back my honour from G'Nolga! I know you're upset right now-"

"Correct, Julia!" interrupted Dr Diggers sternly. "I _am_ upset! And don't I have a right to be? You know how Master Leep trains his pupils! You expect me to stand by and let my wife be _molested_?"

"Humph!" snorted Master Leep. "Everybody so critical to my teaching style … fail to see results …"

"You …!" Dr Diggers snarled.

"Fah!" interrupted Master Leep. "It is _I_ you should be _angry_ at … not Julia … you got a problem with way I teach, boy? You talk to me."

Ranma could tell there was bad blood between the two elder men. But he stood in the background of this scene along with the younger Diggers daughters, Beebee and Lydia.

"Leep … I told you what would happen if you _ever_ touched Julia again …" threatened Dr Diggers.

"Hmph … save your threats, Diggers …" interrupted Master Leep. "You know full _well_ who would win if you ever challenged _me_ … and I wish not to upset Julia by harming you … boy …"

"How dare you!" exclaimed Dr Diggers angrily. "You take advantage of innocent young women for your own perverted amuse-"

"SU!" interrupted Mater Leep with cool anger. "I _only_ train veterans, Diggers … expert fighters who want to learn from my teachings … Pain means little to them – they've been through _harshest_ of training … conventional discipline techniques are a **joke** to them …"

Ranma could see the old man's point … though he didn't necessarily agree with the methods he employed.

"Hmph!" snorted Dr Diggers, glaring down at the man half his size. "How convenient for you!"

"You are no longer welcome here, Diggers," stated the elder man. "These grounds are for students **only** … and you need _not_ worry about me "goosing" Julia any longer. That is for my disciples only … and from this moment on, she is no longer my student!"

This sudden turn of events seemed to have a devastating effect on Julia's demeanour, as she suddenly looked despaired, something she most likely was, given the reason she had sought out her old master. "But, Master Leep …" she asked timidly.

"Carla and Luan …" continued the old Master. "Tomorrow morning, you will see Julia from school. She is _never_ to return as a student …"

"Master Leep? Why?" asked the woman in green uniform and short, brown hair. She and her companion seemed as upset about this as Julia.

"You are going with her …" continued Master Leep. "You are both students of Julia Diggers now … my fellow Master of the Leep style … she is to start _her_ school on Earth-Realm … Kelith, bring Julia's Master gi …"

Relief flooded Julia's demeanour. This was much better than she had feared.

Julia was not the only one to show a change in expression … the two women, Carla and Luan, were bouncing in place with glee, screaming joyfully "We're training under Julia! We're training under Julia!"

Ranma had to force himself to look away, as the jumping affected not only their charms, but also caused their uniform to lift in strategic places, displaying their skimpy underwear for all to see. The reason he looked away, was the heated glares from the women clutching to his arms … he didn't want to give them any ammunition for arguments by staring at _other_ women. He also didn't want to call attention to the situation that was rising in response to the view he had by calling attention to himself.

While the other women were in full activity, Dr Diggers approached the younger group that had had clustered around Ranma.

"Guys … let's go …" he announced. "Julia will meet us later … I believe she has work to do now …"

"Dad?" asked Brianna suspiciously. "We're not just going to _leave_ mom alone with that _Leep_ guy, are we?" she cracked her knuckles in a symbolic gesture, a promise of pain to any who violated her mother.

"Julia's fine, Brianna," assured Dr Diggers. "As Leep stated … Julia is no longer his pupil. There is no longer cause for concern."

This confused most of the group, but they followed the grey-haired man as he led the way back to the spot Julia had chosen for their campsite in the emerging darkness.

It was dark by the time they made it there.

"Dad? How long has mom been a student of Master Leep?" asked Brianna once they started slowing down.

"Hmmm …" responded Dr Diggers. "She became his pupil just after I met her, Brianna … We were both only just beginning back then … we both had to learn from an adept. I was your age when I first met Master Leep, Gina … he was very polite … courteous … and wise …and … Julia had a crush on him. A lot of his other students did too …"

"Mom? Had a crush on that old guy? You're joking!" exclaimed Brianna in disbelief.

"Leep looked a lot different over twenty years ago, Brianna …" explained Dr Diggers. "He was very distinguished. But it was all a façade … Leep began showing his true colours after a big fight broke out among his students over who was Leep's favourite pupil … Apparently, his suppressed lecherous tendencies were ignited by that fight … he changed his uniforms … and changed his teaching technique … suffice to say, Julia's crush on him soon vanished after that …"

"Hmmm … at least he was harmless … or at least he seemed as such," mused Brianna.

Gina was busy setting out a device that looked like a flat backpack with a push-button extended from it.

"Actually, the person we should be worrying about is this G'Nolga character," commented Gina as she stood up. "I'm setting up the tent … stand back …"

She took the push-button cord in her hand and pressed it.

-FTOOM!-

Suddenly a big metal object crashed into the ground where the device had been, and extended three legs to the ground for stability. A set of stairs led up to what looked like the door of a submarine. Ranma thought it looked like a three-armed octopus.

"Say, dad?" started Brianna. "What does G'Nolga have against mom, anyway …?"

Ranma was interested in hearing about this, and paused in his observation of what Gina thought setting up a tent meant.

"Those two have been in a feud that extends a long way into the past, Brianna," explained Dr Diggers. "A deadly feud …" he made a few gestures, and suddenly an outhouse popped into existence not far away, complete with a crescent moon cut into the door. "Mmm … we may need one of these, too …" he added in afterthought.

Seeing the expecting expressions of everyone, he continued with the story.

"On Jade, many disputes are settled in duels or tournaments instead of wars … G'Nolga and Julia first met when the Barbarian tribe, the Dwarven kingdom and the Elven nation held a small tournament to settle a border dispute. Julia, representing the Barbarian tribe, narrowly defeated G'Nolga, representing the Dwarven kingdom. They've been bitter rivals since that first battle …

"Julia faced G'Nolga many times … winning only by a slim margin each battle … the last time they fought was the last Tournament of Arms.

"Julia used a secret technique G'Nolga had never seen before then … naturally, G'Nolga took this defeat very badly. She accused Julia of cheating her out of her rightful place as Arms-Master … then disappeared after swearing to have her revenge …"

Ranma thought this sounded very familiar … why?

"I see …" hummed Gina in understanding. "Well, mom's got her hands full this time … we've got to be ready to back her up …"

Brianna suddenly came out from behind the "tent" with what looked like a flame-thrower.

"**Hey, guys** …" she called out excitedly. "I got the **Plasma Thrower**! _Let's make s'mores_!"

Dr Diggers didn't respond to this, but slowly walked away from the campsite.

"Dad?"

"I'm just going to wait for Julia over here … good night," said Dr Diggers calmly.

* * *

Author's Notes; The reference to where Leep's Training Compound was located, I got from Broken Hearts Combined, by RedPriest17, as I could not locate it nor the location of the Tournament on any map I have gathered on the Jade realm, nor can I find reference to it in the comic books, though I am still quite a few issues from having the complete Gold Digger series. If anyone knows the proper locations of these places, please share them with me so I don't make a bigger ass out of myself than necessary.

Small writing tip; supplied in part by borg rabbit; "Loose" and "Lose" are not interchangeable. Something that is "Loose" is not firmly held or fixed in place. If you "Lose" something, you do not know where it is, for example because you have forgotten where it is.

Credits; The bracelet is the compact form of a blaster weapon, not too unlike the one Megaman uses, only it doesn't cover as much surface of the hand as the original. The idea for this weapon was from a combination of sources. The first source was of course; Suikoden One Half , by MadHat886, where Ranma is given such a device by Science Hat, I believe. The second source was ChaosRune, who suggested it to me in a review at some point, just after the violent confrontation between Ranma and Ryan.


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

It was morning when the entire group, now including Julia, Carla and Luan, made way for the Tournament of Arms, so that Julia may enter it and regain her lost honour. Halfway there, Julia and Dr Diggers had broken away from the rest, and made for the Arena, as most of the group would prefer to get there at a slower pace, and had agreed to meet them at the entrance.

They had already reached the mountain which the Arena was built into, and Gina was trying to coax information from Luan about Jade's History, a subject which Luan claimed to be an expert at.

"Pay no attention to Luan, Gina," interrupted Carla. "If she _reads_ more than two scrolls on a subject, she's an "expert"-"

Ranma recognised the personality … Akane had the same attitude towards everything she did, only _she_ thought she'd be an expert without even _reading_ about it … her cooking was the most noteworthy example, followed immediately by her skills as a seamstress, and her skills as a Martial Artist, all of which she claimed to be an expert at without having the skills or knowledge to prove it. The only thing she _did_ excel at, was school, and even that was an area Ranma had overtaken her in, though this was without her knowledge.

"At _least_ I know _how_ to read, Carla …" retorted Luan smugly.

"That was uncalled for …" muttered Carla sourly.

Ranma was very thankful that these two had not fallen under the "spell" that many women seemed to around him. He remembered what Dao had read to him from the computer read-out about his physical conditions … he knew what potential consequences having a severely increased pheromone output could cause. He already had enough trouble with Brianna, Gina, Beebee and Lydia … he didn't need more to add to the list … though after his gift from the Emperor, there was no excuse for shunning women, according to his mother's point of view. But, for some reason, he found it very difficult to resent the act of copulation recently … or more accurately, after he came back to America.

The two students of Julia traded some moments of half-serious banter before Gina decided to proceed with her original questioning.

"Aheh …" she coughed politely to announce her intent to start speaking. "So … What can you tell me about the tournament at the Arena, Luan? Mom and dad said they'd meet us at the entrance …"

"The Tournament of Arms …" started Luan reverently. "The Arenas of Jade … a long time ago, they had a _different_ purpose. A long time ago, the _Shadows_, for their own _twisted_entertainment, forced the inhabitants of Jade to build those Arenas and the Warriors of Jade to fight to the death in them …"

"Jinkies!" exclaimed Gina. "Who are the Shadows?"

Ranma was curious about this as well, and made sure to pay attention … after all, those who did not learn from History were doomed to repeat it … besides, nothing passed the time on a long trip like a good story, and this had all the makings of one.

"Eons ago, when magic flourished on the Earth, some dimensional explorers from Earth discovered this realm … believe it or not, it was _more_ beautiful then … a pristine world! A paradise! They named it Jade … There was no sign of intelligent life … except for a strange _scrap of stone_ hidden in an old cave … the magic sages used their spells and tried to learn what had created the stone, but all they could learn, was that it belonged to an ancient race, which suddenly vanished from the realm …

"It wasn't until centuries later, after Jade was settled by the magical races of Earth, that the fate of the ancient race became known. You see, the _destroyers_ of that old civilisation _returned_!"

Gina could not contain a comment about how the mysterious past of Jade only brought up more questions, something Ranma and Beebee agreed with her on.

"Please, go on," added Gina after her comment.

"After the arrival of the Shadows, all of Jade's inhabitants were enslaved!" continued Luan reverently. "There was no one who could resist. It was … _the Realm's Darkest Hour_! The horror … _the horror_ …"

"Cut out the melodrama, Luan," commented Lydia … she wanted to hear the story, damnit!

Luan was minimally offended by the blunt end to her acting. "The Shadows then forced their slaves to construct monstrous War-Engines … constructs of metal and wood … floating machines of destruction!"

Ranma made a mental note not to show his car to anyone on Jade … they might just be reminded of their past and kill him to keep his technology from spreading. He knew that most would try to destroy what they did not understand, human or humanoid, they seemed to generally have the same train of thought on the issue of _strange things_ …

"After the war-machines were made, the Shadows used them on the cities of Jade … devastating them …" continued Luan. "Countless lives were spared _only_ because of the fact that the Shadows had emptied the cities and towns of Jade to fill their slave camps, but it wasn't until _after_ all of the civilisations of Jade were annihilated did the true _nightmare_ begin … the Shadows forced some of the slaves to build giant arenas in four locations, then they began toying with us by having our once proud warriors do meaningless battles with each other to the death!

"All of the slaves were forced to watch the carnage …"

Ranma was fascinated by this story, but also noticed that they had now come across what could pass as a miniature town, filled with stalls and merchants here for the tournament. The people milling the street made Ranma glad he had taken on his human form instead of his hybrid form … he would most assuredly have drawn some attention in all of this, especially after having _tied_ in a sparring match with Karia …

"But one day," continued Luan, "a warrior … a _champion_ … broke the bonds of the Shadows and, from the Apex Rock Arena … he led Jade to freedom! The Shadows fled the realm and never returned … in memory of that great victory, we hold that tournament to select a new champion every ten years."

It was about this time that the women that tried to attach themselves to Ranma noticed the activity around them … Brianna drew the conclusion that this event was much like a festival, and expressed her desire to go on a shopping binge … if only they would take her x-press card, something Gina pointed out was impossible.

After some window-shopping, figuratively speaking as there were no windows to browse through, the group ended up in front of the entrance to an important-looking building just as a huge woman with her grey hair in twin buns on the sides of her head exited in a stern march.

"-battle in the Fire Arena in one hour," she commanded to someone behind her. "Don't be late."

All in all, it was a very serious scene … unfortunately, Gina failed to realise this.

"GRAMMY!" the blonde genius exclaimed happily before setting course directly for the giant woman.

To say the big woman was surprised would have been putting it mildly … she could have been knocked over with a feather.

"G- Gina?" she asked, as though to assure herself of it.

"_Grammy_!" exclaimed Gina once more and eagerly jogged up to the huge woman, and embraced her as high as she could reach, which was about her waist. "It's so _great_ to see you!"

"Gina!" repeated the big woman as she happily returned the hug. "And Brianna too!" she added when she saw the youngest Diggers daughter run towards her as well, with a silly expression on her face.

"We missed you thiiiiiiiiis much!" exclaimed Brianna in a giddy display of enthusiasm, illustrating her point by flinging her arms open as wide as they could get. Gina made sounds of agreement from the bigger woman's stomach, agreeing with her sister.

The previously stern expression on the giant woman's face melted into that of a loving grandmother reunited with her grandchildren, which was the case if Ranma understood her identity correctly. From previous conversations, Ranma assumed this huge woman to be the mother of Julia Brigand Diggers, a member of the Barbarian tribe, the affectionately named Brunhilda "Mumsey" Brigand.

"Oh, my!" exclaimed Mumsey. "What a _wonderful surprise_! Oh, I'm so glad you came to visit your tired old Grammy! I get to spoil my beautiful granddaughters again!" she ended in a sing-song tone.

Neither Diggers women would deny her this, and replied with a stereo "Ayup!"

However, the joyful reunion was interrupted when Mumsey was reminded of her appointment. Julia had followed her outside.

"Gina, Brianna …" started the elder woman seriously. "Grammy's … sorry … but … Grammy has to leave now, okay?"

Ranma watched the exchanged looks between Mumsey and Julia before the elder of the two walked away, and knew something was wrong … the elder woman had mentioned something about an Arena before being interrupted by Gina, could it be a battle of honour?

It would make sense … according to Jade, Julia sold her honour for money, and as such, tarnished her family's good name … perhaps she had to prove herself worthy of her family name to regain her family?

Family honour was such an annoying thing … mostly because there was rarely more than one judge of it, namely the Head of the family, and when matters of honour was at stake the opinion of the Head tended to be more than a little biased, especially in the more strict families. Ranma's father was a brilliant example of this … if he ever did anything wrong, it was okay or the blame was transferred to his son … but if Ranma ever did anything remotely wrong, it was a dishonour and needed to be mended by marrying Akane immediately. Personally, Ranma was glad that those days were over for him.

"Say, mom?" asked Brianna, bringing Ranma from his thoughts. "Why is Grammy in such a hurry? She didn't even have time to pinch our cheeks or anything!"

"Well," started Julia uncertainly, not of the situation, but how to phrase her words. "Your grandmother is being … _difficult_ towards me right now …"

"Huh?" asked Gina, not understanding why this was happening.

"Julia," groused a giant man in an earthy voice matching his tan and weathered expression. "May I have a word-"

"You too, Battlock?" asked Julia angrily. "You want to … rebuke me too? Then again, if my _own mother_ can turn her back on me, why not my old mentor as well?" the sense of betrayal permeated her angry words, and Ranma would have easily taken her side on things if he hadn't witnessed the exchange of glances between Mumsey and Julia. Mumsey was hurt just as much by the situation as Julia, if not more, and in knowing this, Ranma could not take the side of his sensei's wife, but nor could he the take opposing side.

"You should not judge your mother so harshly," objected Battlock. "As Chairwoman of our _Clan_-_Council_, she's had a hard time since your losing to G'Nolga. Our neighbours … particularly the Shadow Elves and the Dwarven Kingdom … have seen this as a sign of weakness. We're being _challenged_ for territory on every front … unless we wish to commit to _wars_, we can't win, we must defend our lands with a _Champion_ in a _Tournament_ …" here he took a brief pause to let this information sink in. "And as far as our champions go, we're running _very low_ … we stand to lose _everything_ unless we reclaim the Arms-Master title …"

Julia had the good sense to calm down, and towards the end of the explanation of her former mentor, started looking ashamed, perhaps because of her behaviour towards her mother, but most likely out of regret for losing her title so easily.

"Th- That's right …" she admitted. "When I was Arms-Master, no one could try to challenge our clan for property we already own!"

Julia took a moment to compose herself, lest she lose her emotional control.

"I see why she's so mad at me …" she agreed. "Basically, I made a big mess of things, and left her to pick up the pieces … damn."

Dr Diggers, sensing the inner turmoil of his wife, approached her and lay a placating hand on her shoulder.

"Julia," he started. "You know it's not your fault …"

Ranma agreed with his sensei, but refrained from ruining the tender moment by interfering.

"I'm not so sure, Theo …" argued Julia sadly. "Not that it matters any more," the resigned sigh in her tone was almost audible, though it was not uttered. "I have to enter the Tournament … I can't back down now …" the former Arms-Master turned to her newly appointed apprentices. "Luan, Carla … I'm sorry, but I won't be able to teach you now … not until the Tournament is over."

"We understand, teacher," replied Luan automatically for them both.

"Thank you, both of you …" turning to her eldest daughter, Julia went straight on to business. "Gina, did you bring my sword?"

"I was storing it in Hyper-Space for safe-keeping!" chirped the blonde genius and whipped out what looked like a remote control for a television. She giggled with a slightly insane tint that only a scientist can get right just before revealing some exciting experiment to someone. "Just stand back, mom …" she warned. "Calling things from Hyper-Space gets a little flashy …"

-KWOOOOOM!-

Lightning struck the ground in front of Julia and Gina, sending a shockwave and crushed rock debris flying in all directions, nearly knocking over several people, and whipping around with light and loose things such as hair and clothes.

"AAAH!" screamed Julia in shock. "Gina!"

"What?" asked Gina in a clueless tone.

"Uhhh …" groaned Julia as she calmed down from the shock. "Never mind … you just – startled me that's all …"

"It's just technology, mom!" replied Gina, rolling her eyes. "Sheesh!"

"… right …" agreed Julia. "But … just … try not to use the "Flashy" stuff so _near me_ next time, okay?"

Ranma had been caught off guard by the light show, he could admit to that, but it was nothing on the reactions of Carla and Luan, who were cowering in fear of being smote by the evils of technology.

It was one of the reasons Ranma himself didn't use the stuff _here_ anymore … the other reasons were that he didn't want technology to be a crutch, and he didn't want to get arrested again. It might be a little more annoying trying to break out a second time, if they even sent him to the same place as last time.

It seemed that this reaction reminded Gina how frightened most inhabitants of Jade were of technology, and felt slightly bad for upsetting them.

"Well …" started Julia, and hefted her sword to her shoulder. "I'm off to warm up … uh, Theo, dear? Could you show everyone where we rented the Inn?"

Gina and Brianna wanted to come with their mother, but after some convincing by their father and Ranma, who had some idea of what would happen, they conceded. Brianna, however, dropped something deliberately, and Ranma was about to notify her when he noticed what it was … it was her newest techno-toy, the Wild Weasel, a Peebo specially designed for stealthy recon missions … a spy-bot to put it simply. It looked a lot like peebochu had before it exploded during the Explorers' Banquet, only its tail was not broad and jagged, and its colours were black and grey.

Ranma knew what Brianna was planning as soon as he realised what she had dropped, but didn't stop her.

Frankly, he was curious about Julia's skills, and how brutal some of the battles in this realm could get, and Julia had only told _them_ not to _follow_ her, and mentioned nothing about sending machines out to spy on her … they would be playing by the set rules, but still be able to find out what was going on.

* * *

Meanwhile back on Earth, Britanny and her husband, Stryyp, were very busy and unhappy.

The day had gone very well until moments earlier … they had started a barbeque with Dao, Genn and Seance … grilled tuna was on the menu, and was almost ready to be served, when _they_ trespassed onto the property, demanding they hand Ranma over to them.

Genn had tried to explain to the large group of women, of varying sizes and state of dress, that they couldn't, because Ranma wasn't in this realm, but the women had only heard her say that she couldn't and reacted accordingly … in an _aggressive_ manner.

This was the reason for the 'Gia couple's annoyance, as the ensuing battle was tearing up the property, and injuring their invited guests.

Where the women had gotten their weapons was a question that was on the minds of everyone fighting them, because it looked like they had only taken them out of nothing … almost like Ranma did …

After about five minutes of fighting, the defending team developed a strategy of sorts.

Genn, Britanny and Dao would engage the enemy in hand-to-hand combat, trying to disable or disarm as many of the armed women as possible … Dao had an easy time of disarming, because the women did not know how to defend themselves against his extra arms, and Britanny was stronger and faster than most of them, even the ones that easily topped nine feet in height. Seance and Stryyp would take out the enemy by means of their special talents, natural, trained or otherwise gained … meaning the attacking women would start flying all of a sudden, crash into nothing, or get struck by energy bolts.

This strategy worked very well … until the woman that looked like a long-haired monkey on a stick started commanding the women to fight long distance instead, making the three offensive defenders wear themselves out chasing them.

It was Stryyp that recognised the danger when the ancient artefacts fused into his body registered the thermal movements natural to this area started cooling down at an unnatural speed, and called for the trio to stop chasing the women or they would be severely injured.

A tense moment followed immediately after the three close-quarters fighters stepped back. The thermal movements quickly returned to normal.

"Hand over Son-in-Law!" demanded the monkey-on-a-stick in a raspy voice after a few moments.

"Who?" asked Stryyp. Hadn't they come for Ranma?

"Ranma!" added a purple-haired woman, waving her maces like a pair of maracas. "My - _Husband_! Bring me _my husband_!"

"Ranma's married?" Stryyp asked Dao, wincing at the prospect of having missed _that_ little detail when listening to his story.

"If this is who I think she is, then no …" denied Dao, who had paid more attention due to Ranma's unusual background and origin. "This would have to be Xian Pu, of the Chinese Amazons of Juketsuzoku … she believes herself married to Ranma because he defeated her in a physical conflict, and is of the male gender, or rather, was at the second conflict … the first time, he was in female form, and defeated her on a hanging log for the victory prize of the annual championship to determine the best warrior of the tribe. According to the laws of this tribe, if an outside male defeats an Amazon warrior, they are married … if an outsider female defeats one of their warriors, that warrior has to hunt that female to the ends of the Earth until one of them is dead.

"I've actually been expecting the Amazons to show up for some time now … though not this late … were there any delays?"

"None of your business!" snapped the monkey. "Just hand him over, or we'll be forced to _kill_ you!"

"We can't!" protested Genn, and earned herself a serious glare from the woman claiming to be married to Ranma. "He's not here!" she added before another attack could be initiated.

A series of undisciplined groans issued from the Amazons. Their prey had eluded them once again!

More than one of the women were cursing themselves for _celebrating_ the previous day, and got caught up in it enough to waste the entire day. Their husband had of course taken the brunt of this celebration, and was attempting to recuperate in camp while they came here. Just to make sure he wouldn't escape, they had tied him up in several different ways, leaving him no leverage to move more than his eyes … not that he'd have the strength to do so after the eager moods his wives had been in. Well … at least they wouldn't count their chickens before they hatched the next time around …

The Amazons _would_ have asked where Ranma had gone off to, had not the backdoor of the house burst open to spill out a sea of peebos, all of which screamed out their delight at being enabled to fulfil their purpose … to blow up the bad guys, which in this case was consistent of the female intruders.

* * *

In one of the sub-levels of the Diggers home, Romeo was uncertain about whether he was in Heaven or in Hell.

This conflict of thought was brought on by one thing … Moisha had _more or less_ raped him … of course, once she had made her intentions clear, he wasn't exactly an unwilling participant, and actually shown some initiative.

It was unavoidable, really … a male and a female of similar age, locked up alone and together over a prolonged period … sooner or later, one of the two would try to initiate sexual activity, something Romeo had tried since day one and gotten shot down every time. This didn't necessarily mean they were an _item_ … just … _friends_ with _benefits_ or something to that effect …

What had prompted the sudden change in the bucktoothed female wererat, Romeo didn't know or care … he was merely glad it had.

He felt like he was in Heaven because of the _act_ … he felt like he was in Hell, because he was tired and wanted to go to sleep, but Moisha wasn't about to let that happen, and kept him awake by incessant chatter about how he could improve his _performance_, derogatory comments about his physique, and asking him what was on his mind.

Romeo was relieved of his problem by the force field holding them in turned itself off after a few short series of rumbles from the surface.

Barring the only way out, was a woman with huge goat-like horns on her head, forming a helmet that curled backwards, down and up somewhere around the hips, and with eyes on her stomach instead of her face.

"Hello, there," purred the woman … clearly a magical being if her features and the hovering ring she wore around her chest instead of a top were any indication. "Are you about ready to leave this place?" this was of course a redundant question, as very few were ever willing to remain under lock and key for longer than they felt unable to escape. "Then I may have a _proposition_ for the two of you …"

* * *

Back in Jade, Ranma, Gina, Brianna, Beebee, Lydia, Carla and Luan had gathered around the laptop Brianna's Wild Weasel sent its broadcast signal to, watching the confrontation between mother and daughter for the right to represent their clan in the Tournament of Arms.

">-I'll need all the luck I can get …>" sighed the giant woman as a mysterious man vanished in a green cloud of smoke, like the legendary shinobi. She was sitting in the middle of a large arena, bathed in the warm light of the intense inferno surrounding it, holding her sword at the ready.

">MOTHER!>" Julia marched into view of the optical sensors, sword at the ready. There was a tense moment of silence as mother and daughter looked each other over, both sad at what needed to be done. ">Let's get this over with …>"

No words were exchanged beyond this … there was no need, as Julia's statement had been the starting signal for what promised to be a brutal battle.

Brunhilda "Mumsey" Brigand charged in with greater grace and speed than her outward appearance would allow, swinging her huge broadsword with expert flow and finesse. She was so fast, that even Julia was unprepared for the impact, barely managing to raise her own sword to block the diagonal chop at her chest.

The brute force behind the impact pushed Julia off balance, and another incoming swing kept her from regaining it. And yet another followed, all with enough power to throw Julia off balance.

Ranma was impressed … not even Genma could move as gracefully and fast as that big woman was, and she was more than twice the man's size, and obviously in better shape. He could see that Julia was in a tight spot, trying and failing to regain her balance before it was-

-Ktch-

-Yaah!-Whamm!-

-too late … never mind …

Mumsey had grabbed hold of Julia's leg and used her as a bludgeon on the ground, and started repeating the process.

Ranma ignored the worried chattering of his female companions, and instead watched the monitor intently … the feedback didn't have enough frames per second to accurately capture everything going on, so if he wanted to learn anything from this, he'd have to pay close attention.

After a few more slams, Ranma saw the two were starting to tire, making him hold back a snort … didn't these two know that they should conserve some energy in case the battle drew out longer than planned? Against someone this strong, pacing was the key to winning.

Mumsey dropped her daughter once she thought she had enough, and started to walk away.

">Stay down, Julia …>" advised Mumsey, huffing and puffing from exertion. ">The fight is over, daughter … you've lost …>"

Ranma would have to disagree.

Though he could not read her aura through a monitor, he could read her movements, and she was struggling to get to her feet … determined to continue … an admirable trait, but not always advisable.

">No … No, mother,>" objected Julia, looking very bruised … though it was difficult to tell just _how_ bruised she was, because the pixel count and zoom features weren't as good as they could be at this distance. ">It's not … it's not over until I yield? Not until I give up! And - I'm not giving up!>"

Regret played across the giantess' face as she turned to once more face her daughter, who had by now gotten to her feet, and stood proudly, ready to leap into action at any given moment.

And leap she did … with a powerful thrust of her legs, Julia was airborne and doing a flip over her mother, who followed her momentum carefully.

Ranma ignored the dialogue taking place … it wasn't important.

At some time during mid leap, Julia seemed to have lost her sword, as she had it when she jumped, but not when she landed in a crouch on the other side of her side-stepping mother.

He spotted the sword a micro-second before Mumsey realised that the sword was not where it was supposed to be.

It had been thrown into the air at the pique of Julia's leap, and was plummeting towards the giant form of Mumsey.

When Mumsey realised the danger she was in, she had to throw herself back, and swatted at the descending projectile with her own sword, and managed to deflect it in time … but now it was _her_ that was off balance, and Julia took advantage of the weakness, and delivered a very powerful blow to Mumsey's abdomen, sending the giantess flying several feet away.

"-a Master Technique, Brianna," explained Carla sagely, drawing Ranma's attention. "It has many names … but it's mostly known as the "Master Blow"! It focuses every bit of strength into one strike! But - it usually leaves you completely drained after you use it!"

Personally, Ranma thought this a foolish technique … what use was it if you couldn't defend yourself afterwards? From personal experience, Ranma knew that if any enemy happened to come over you while you were in such a state, they would not hesitate to take advantage of it, and then you'd be deep in it. Trouble, that is …

Catching motion on the monitor, Ranma turned to it and saw Mumsey rise, laughing.

">_That's_ my girl!>" laughed Mumsey proudly. ">That's my Julia! You knocked the _stuffing_ out of your ole' mom! You had it in you after all …>"

">No ->" wheezed Julia, clearly not even seeing straight from exhaustion. ">No way! It's not possible!>"

">It's – it's _over_, Julia …>" announced Mumsey, limping closer, clutching her left ribs with her right arm. ">You can no longer resist … while I can still fight …>"

">No …>" protested Julia weakly, still not able to return to her feet.

">Daughter, I'm so sorry …>"

">NO!>"

">JULIA!>" bellowed the giantess to regain her daughter's attention. ">… Julia, please … it's over …>"

Ranma could see that his sensei's wife was not going to give up … this was about her honour, and the honour of her clan … she _couldn't_ give up …

Julia started controlling her breathing … focusing her energies, trying to muster the strength to get back up and fight.

With one final big intake of breath, Ranma could see in Julia's posture that she was starting to heal … this must have been the technique she wanted to learn from Master Leep … the Renewing Breath … impressive … of course, he could do the same, only he didn't want to spend enough energy to convert surrounding energy into his own to heal his injuries that fast.

Mumsey was as surprised as her granddaughters, and was left more or less speechless.

">Okay, mom …>" said Julia smugly. ">Top that!>"

Ranma could see that Mumsey was very proud … but her injuries were too severe to continue, and with a motherly embrace, she yielded to her daughter. Those injuries could be a problem for the woman … and Gina seemed very willing to go visit her Grammy … maybe he should have her bring a device he had cooked up by accident during the trials of the limiters he used on his father … a _healing_ device that absorbed surrounding chi and transformed it into healing ki, which was sent through the natural ki flow of the body, capable of healing some internal damage if caught in time … or worn over a prolonged period of time … he had theorised that it would be possible to revive someone with it, within the time it would take for the brain to suffocate … he didn't want to bet any money or lives on the device being able to regenerate brain cells … but it would be useful, right? At the very least, if it worked, he'd have the giantess owe him a favour … in the worst case scenario, nothing would happen at all … but at least he would have tried …

* * *

Outside the Arms-Master's Palace, five shapes were ascending the stairs leading to it.

"I can't _begin_ to describe to you guys how much I hate going undercover!" growled the middle figure, a tall, redheaded woman with a red, see-through veil across her lower face, and the rest of her body covered by a purple cloak. "I mean, how in this realm does a _seven-and-an-half-foot tall woman_ remain inconspicuous?"

"You _knew_ the job was tough when you took it, sis," commented her neighbouring figure, a shorter man with red hair and a green cloak with its hood down.

"Shut up, Gar!" hissed the woman. "I should have stayed in Seer's Hamlet with Raphiel …"

"You're a lot less conspicuous in your human form than in your hybrid form, Sheila …" commented the front figure, who was a dark-skinned man with no hair, a blue hood, and a lute slung over his shoulder.

"Thropan's got a point, sis …" agreed Gar. "Plus, all of your werecat strength and agility are _available_ in your human form instead of your hybrid form … a solid advantage for you now …"

"I still stick out like a sore thumb, and my so-called advantage is still a _birth defect_!" argued Sheila.

"Your sister is just a little shy, Gar," commented a blonde man in a red cloak, with a flute of some kind slung across his back. "If you think about it, we'd be suspicious as a group of minstrels if out main attractions _didn't_ stand out! Right, Onoli?"

"Bite me, Tirga …" retorted Sheila automatically. She didn't want to be seen like this … at least not by anyone present.

"Focus, Edge Guard," cautioned the last member of the group, a tall, powerfully built, if not gentle-looking blonde man in a pale brown cloak … His voice booming with authority. "We have to focus on our goals …"

This was the first serious mission they had had for ages, and it was a self-appointed one at that, meaning that the sheriff had no clue, and they had been very careful about revealing the plan to anyone or anything. It could not go wrong, or they would all be in it up to their ears.

"The first step is to infiltrate the Arms-Master's Palace _G'Nolga_ now resides in …" he continued. "To do this, we'll have to be _more_ than _convincing_ as a troupe of travelling minstrels. Remember, she is still wanted for kidnapping all those magic users … plus, we still have to locate the victims."

"I know … I know …" agreed Sheila, trying to appear calm … her next sentence, however, ruined the illusion. "_But why do **I** always hafta be the **Belly Dancer**_?"

As she nearly bellowed out the word with enough venom to kill off a family of elephants, she spread her arms and looked down on her outfit as it was underneath the cloak. Mostly-see-through red material barely covered her sizable charms and nether-region, and she was quick to close the cloak again, lest Tirga get a better and longer look than was good for him … or rather, a better look that would lead to her giving him a kapowie with enough _oomph_ to deflect an asteroid from its set course.

Tirga was not exactly careful with his next words, and she felt it only fair to warn him of his impending doom. Luckily for him, Gar intervened before Sheila acted on her threat.

"Um …" he started, uncertain. "G'Nolga is a woman … I don't think she'd be _too distracted_ by Sheila's dance routine …"

Now, the tables were turned, and Tirga became the target of taunting. Sheila made sure to sound equally lecherous towards him as he was towards her, when she suggested that they make Tirga the dancer, and exactly what he could wear … or _not_ wear …

* * *

At the Arena, Ranma was surrounded by women … Brianna, Beebee, Lydia, Luan and Carla were crowded around him as they waited for the battle to start … Gina was missing, but she was visiting her Grammy at the friar she had gone to for healing … she had promised to get back in time, but it didn't look like she was going to make it.

She had brought the device, and listened to Ranma's attachment instructions carefully … she knew how dangerous experimental devices could be if one didn't follow instructions to the letter, and was not about to risk her Grammy's life just to make her a guinea pig.

The arena was an unusual sight … it was a rock platform with thick rock poles of varying heights covering only parts of it, and surrounding it all was a water-filled mote that separated the audience from the combatants.

However, when the combatants entered the arena, Ranma knew that Gina was not going to get there in time.

The number of combatants was what threw Ranma off … there were three of them, and he had expected two …

Luan explained that the man and woman were a team, a Symbiar … this was apparently two warriors who fought while using the other's arms or legs instead of their own. It was apparently a rare fighting style.

Ranma dismissed this fighting style immediately … it was impractical. First off, the one in control of the legs, while having the advantage of being able to move about freely, would be weighted down by the other, which would also change the centre of balance further back than advisable … second of all, the one in control of the arms could easily be thrown off if the momentum suddenly changed beyond the capability of the straps to hold them together … finally, there was only a small chance that one could predict what the other was thinking in terms of improvised strategy without speaking out advise, which could lead to the initial two disadvantages and alerting the opponent to what would happen.

However, this pair seemed to have worked out some kind of system, and might just be capable of pulling it off against many good fighters … though how good their opponent had to be to _just_ win he couldn't be sure until the battle had finished.

Julia wore a tight, green bodysuit, with splits along the outer side of the thighs to allow better mobility … a much more sensible article of clothing than the uniform Master Leep had designed for his pupils.

The symbiar, man and woman, wore little clothing. It actually looked like they were on the way to the beach, as the man wore trunks, and the woman a one-piece bathing suit … her legs were wrapped around his torso, under his arms, which were crossed across his chest … these four appendages were locked together by some kind of leather harness to keep them in place while causing as little damage to them as possible.

The battle started with both parties rushing in … an unsound tactic for those who wanted to have, hold, and keep the upper hand throughout the battle.

Zel, the man in control of the balance and speed, used his shins to block an elbow blow from Julia.

Di, the man's wife, who was in control of the upper parts, used the opportunity to slash at Julia with her sword, but was parried when Julia raised her sword in defence.

Several more attacks were traded, and Ranma noticed that Zel had gone into a low and wide stance … perfect for balance, and perfect for a dirty fighter to take advantage of … fortunately for Zel and his family jewels, Julia was not such a person.

In layman theory, the Symbiar was the ultimate opponent … but in the end, swordsmanship won out, and Julia managed to disarm Di with flourish.

Zel tried to compensate, and buy them enough time to retrieve the lost weapon by stomping Julia, but she was too agile, and rolled out of the way, finishing with a kick that struck Di in the face with enough force to tear her from the restraints keeping her attached to her husband, and flying back a couple of feet.

She had barely crashed into the ground before she flipped back to her feet.

Julia, in the spirit of fair play, discarded her sword so she would be on a more equal footing with her opponents.

All around Ranma, the audience, minus Ranma and his companions, were booing the turn of event, showing clearly how popular Julia was … or rather, how _un_popular she was.

The husband-and-wife team shared a glance before rushing in on the unarmed Julia, hoping to double-team her.

Zel kicked, and was blocked, creating an opening for his wife to jump in and deliver a flying kick to Julia, who was busy defending herself against Zel's follow-up hammer elbow. The flying kick struck Julia's face much like Julia had kicked Di.

Di was not about to quit, and was about to rush in once more, when her husband restrained her.

"Di!" he barked. "Cease! We've lost!"

"_**Zel**_!" screeched the woman angrily. "_Are you **mad**_? _Let me **go**_!"

"Calm yourself," commanded Zel. "Listen … Julia disarmed us. If she'd kept her sword, we would have surely lost!"

"I don't care!" screamed Di, struggling in her husband's grip, trying to claw Julia's eyes out but not reaching. "She _kicked_ me!"

"We began this battle to fight her as _one_ warrior, not as two …" continued Zel, ignoring his wife's struggling. "Even if we did defeat her _now_, it would be an _honourless victory_!"

"I _still_ don't care, Zel!"

"Julia _planned_ it this way. She has shown us that she is _our_ superior without _harming_ us!"

"_I_ got _harmed_!" protested Di angrily. "That kick _hurt_!"

"Wife, be calm!" commanded Zel. "If we cannot _win_ with honour, then we must at least _lose with honour_! We yield! Julia is the _victor_!"

Ranma was satisfied as he heard a pin drop on the other end of the arena … the audience had been shocked into silence.

He recognised the looks on Julia's and Zel's faces, even at this distance … they were looking forward to their next battle … so they might see what new tricks the other had up their sleeves. It was something similar to what he and Ryoga had developed over the years … only Ryoga still had that pesky animosity towards him for no discernable reason, and half-heartedly tried to kill him every time he saw him …

Brianna took great pleasure in rubbing the gawking audience's faces in the victory they were so much against.

* * *

At the Arms-Master's Palace, the troupe of _travelling minstrels_ had come to a stop at the front gate, where they were trying to bargain with the buxom woman guarding the place, for permission to enter.

Thropan was doing a most convincing act of "selling" their troupe, which basically meant he was trying to get the guard to hire them for the expressed purpose of entertaining, and as such, he was cutting it close to over-acting … but it was a fine line …

The buxom and cloaked woman guarding the gate, however, was not easily persuaded and outright declined the request … or, would have, if she hadn't been interrupted.

"Hold!" commanded a semi-hollow voice, drawing everyone's attention to the top of the wall, where stood an armoured figure. "Let them in Hanzo …"

"HAN_ZA_!" barked the cloaked woman, her back still turned to the darkly armoured man. "And _you're_ not in charge of security, Rook! _I_ am!"

"You know …" mused Rook aloud. "Just because that potion cursed you with a gender-change, doesn't mean you can't _act_ like you've _got a pair_!"

"… that was _low_," growled the woman, Hanza, under her breath.

"Besides …" continued Rook, ignoring the muttering of the opposite end of this dialogue. "It's been boring around here. We could use the … _entertainment_!"

"I - _really_ **don't** like the way he said that …" muttered Sheila to herself, blushing slightly from the attention and anger.

The buxom chief of security sighed before stepping aside and gesturing for them to follow her.

"Follow me …" she added in case her gesturing was not as clear as she meant it to be. "I'll show you to the _guest_ wing of this palace. _Don't muss it up_! We expect you to play at our _feast_ tonight in honour of Arms-Master G'Nolga … and you'd better be _good_ …"

"But of course, milady …" agreed Thropan grandly. "Now, about payment …"

"You'll _take_ what we _give_ you!" snapped Hanza. "But you may keep any tips you make …"

"Just a moment, Hanza …" interrupted Rook, as he came into being before them through a burst of flame … swords at the ready in both hands. "I'd like to _borrow_ our musician friends for a bit … I like to practice to music."

Hanza was not upset about this. "Whatever, just make sure they get to the guest wing afterwards …"

"Follow me, please … I assure you this won't take _too long_ …" added Rook, ending it with a chuckle.

Sheila got a sinking feeling about this, and fought her first instinct to tell her brother about it … if push came to shove, they would all transform and use their magical weapons to get out of it … and she would use her human form to the same end.

They eventually found their way to a circular room with an alcove containing several benches, where the musicians were to sit.

"Ahh …" sighed Rook as he closed the door behind them. "Here we are … you may use the area to the right to prepare and play your instruments in."

"Th-" started Sheila, and stopped to compose herself … fear would only get in the way, and give away that she was hiding something, which happened to be that she was only _pretending_. "Thank you … w- what should we play for you while you practice, sire?" good, only two stutters … that could be interpreted as awe at a magnificent presence or even –shudder- lust.

"Something classical …" mused Rook aloud. "Yet, "upbeat" … something with a nice tempo! I like to come up with little _scenarios_ to play out during my sessions, and _that_ type of music would fit _nicely_ … My favourite scenario involves the Rangers of the Mior or the Realm – Crusaders, or even the Northern _Edge Guard_! In my scenario, they try to _infiltrate_ our stronghold by using _disguises_! Dressed as merchants, peddlers, cooks … or … _minstrels_ …"

At this point, Sheila was getting more nervous than could be passed off as something else … had they been discovered? She could see the others shared in her concern.

"But little do they know this practice area, like the Arenas in the Coliseum, is sealed from _magic_," continued Rook as he got into his ready stance. "Whatever devices they were using for the disguises … say, a magic cooking pot … or … _enchanted instruments_ … would no longer work!"

This news sent a shock of realisation through most of the troupe … they didn't know how to play! They had counted on the enchanted instruments to do their job! Sheila started cursing up an internal storm, swearing that she'd kapowie her brother for talking her into something that could ensure that she'd never see Ranma again!

"The same would go for any _magical abilities_ or _weapons_ they would possess …" added Rook. "Such as the Rangers' ability to command the elements of nature … or the Northern Edge Guard's _werecat abilities_ and their _mystic weapons_! Suddenly, they would realise they were _trapped_, _exposed_, and _helpless_!

"I would _then_ delight in their _horror_ as I _butchered_ them … _one by one_ … washing my armour in their blood!"

As Rook finished, his eyes were glowing red, like blood, and he was laughing maniacally at the envisioned image.

"Now **PLAY**!" commanded Rook dangerously. "As if your _lives depended_ on it!"

By now, the Edge Guard members were ready to run for the hills, so to speak, and would have surely given themselves away, had not Thropan intervened.

"Why don't you guys sit this one out?" he suggested as he adjusted his lute to a comfortable position. "This is a new song I created on the way up here. You probably won't be able to _follow along_ properly. The tempo is pretty _hi_ and the rhythm's tricky … but it should be _perfect_ for this occasion …"

Sheila was not alone in her surprise … she may have known he liked music, but she had not known Thropan could actually _play_ an instrument …

But play Thropan most certainly could … the werepanther in human form picked the strings with talented fingers, and heavenly sound emerged in coherent tones that stringed together into a melody that flooded the room, enveloping everyone in its spell.

"I think you were right, Tirga," commented Onoli in a whisper. "Thropan missed his calling …"

It seemed the music had an additional effect that had not been expected … Rook was heading for the door, looking unsteady on his feet.

"P-Pardon me …" he said, his voice wavering with heavy emotion. "I've … something i-in my eye … y-you're all excused until the feast in the _main hall_ tonight … until then …"

-Slam!-

The door closed behind the ghost in an enchanted armour.

* * *

Gina was most displeased.

She had gone to visit her Grammy before her mother's scheduled battle, but had spent a little too long assuring herself that her grandmother would be fine, and had gotten the best care she could in addition to the device Ranma had handed her … and now she was unable to get inside the Arena because the battle had started without her.

"I'm truly sorry, milady …" said the man at the entrance, the man who would not let her pass … she should try to kick his eye-patched face in for keeping her from her mother's important battles. "The battle between Diggers and the Hroths has ended. This line is for the afternoon's contest …"

"Oh, _FRAK_!" cursed Gina.

The man tried to push a ticket on her for the match the others were in line for, but when it was clear that she wouldn't buy it, she was ignored in favour of the next customer.

"Hey, Gina! Over here!"

Gina turned, curious and saw her sister, along with the rest of the group, come towards her.

"You _missed_ it!" exclaimed Brianna.

"I know …" sighed Gina. "Did mom win?"

"To put it _mildly_," commented Ranma. "But they were outclassed and had the disadvantage of being two people tied together … they were bound to lose against your mother even before setting foot in the Arena …"

"Yeah!" agreed Brianna enthusiastically. "Mom took 'em to _school_!"

"FRAK!" repeated Gina. "I wanted to see …"

"Don't worry!" assured Brianna. "I had it _taped_! I'm just waiting for peebochu to return with the footage it filmed … _PEEBOCHU_!"

"Wasn't peebochu the _bit_-_bomb_ you lost to missiles at the Banquet?" asked Gina sceptically. She was no doubt wondering if her sister was developing an early case of Alzheimer.

"I fixed it!" replied Brianna cheerfully. "_PEEBOCHU_!"

Ranma could only shake his head in mirth … what was with Brianna and those things? He was distracted by Beebee pinching his cheeks … Lydia, not about to be outdone, pinched the _other_ cheeks.

Brianna and Gina got into a little discussion about Brianna's tendencies where weapons were involved, but it ended in time for Luan to suggest they head for the Inn to meet up with Julia and Dr Diggers to celebrate Julia's victory.

The journey to the Inn was not all that long, but it felt like it to Ranma, who had two women hanging off his sides, while walking with another four … added to it, the two clinging to him were subtly fighting for dominance of _who_ got to grope him and _where_ …

"Man, am I _hungry_!" exclaimed Brianna as they stepped up to the entrance to the Inn. "I hope they serve a good tuna salad here!"

""Tuna"?" asked Luan, genuinely confused. "Brianna? What is this "Tuna" you speak of?"

"_You're kidding_!" screamed Brianna desperately. Ranma felt somewhat _deprived_ as well … after his transformation, the popular fish had grown on him … "Jade doesn't have _tuna_?"

"Brianna, calm down!" chided Gina.

"But, Gina!"

"Let's talk about this after we get in and meet mom and dad in the tavern … you know how irate mom gets when we're late for lunch!"

It was at that second the group opened the door, and was presented with a very irate Julia, letting out a primal scream of engagement.

Ranma was very impressed … if his assessment of Julia was correct, it would take a great deal of provocation to get her to lose her temper … something she seemed to have done … that short brown-haired woman must have had some very well trained taunting skills to coax this kind of result out of her.

The short woman was smirking at the sight, and Dr Diggers was trying to get Julia to her senses.

Just before she could get to the short woman, Dr Diggers must have employed one of his techniques, because he called out the name of one, and Julia crashed face first into an invisible wall.

"THEO!" shrieked the irate fighter in fury.

"Julia! Stop! Think!" plead Dr Diggers.

"What's the matter, Julia?" asked the short woman smugly. "I'm ready when you are!" she added in a singing tone.

"**THEO**!" growled Julia warningly.

Under his breath, Dr Diggers muttered something that Ranma could not catch. "LISTEN!" he yelled out in a booming voice that filled the entire building. "HEAR ME! ALL OF YOU! HAVE YOU ALL FORGOTTEN THE RULES OF THE TOURNAMENT? I'M SURE G'NOLGA HAS NOT! STARTING A BATTLE OUTSIDE AN ARENA … RESULTS IN _IMMEDIATE_ DISQUALIFICATION!" Harry was impressed and appalled at the nerve of the short, formerly smirking woman. A lot of thought had gone into this confrontation … it was on the verge of being dishonest, and reminded him of how Nabiki used to do things before he had a _talk_ with her. "G'NOLGA WAITS FOR JULIA TO ATTACK SO SHE WILL NOT HAVE TO FACE HER LATER!"

The silence following this revelation was deafening.

Ranma would have tried to defend the honour of his sensei's wife, but realised that this was lady that had kidnapped Brianna on her last visit … it would be better to stay out of her way … speaking of which, during the time Ranma had been thinking, the confrontation between Julia and G'Nolga had ended, and said dwarven woman was headed for them, or more accurately, the exit.

Gina, not wanting to be seen by the crazy lady that kidnapped her sister, ushered the entire group out of the way and around a corner.

Once around the corner, Gina pulled out a small periscope-like device which she used to look around the corner.

Brianna was upset that such a dangerous criminal was still at large, and muttered her objections to the legal system under her breath. Luan and Carla were not entirely briefed on that incident, and stayed silent. Beebee and Lydia were egging Brianna on, trying to get her to take action. Ranma was partially in agreement with them … he wanted to get revenge for the threat to his sensei's family, but on the other side, he didn't want to get on the wrong side of the law again …

"Hey, Brianna, look!" Gina hissed suddenly. "In the grass! It's peebochu! It's following G'Nolga!"

Ranma looked as well, and saw the pale purple bit-bomb with the flame design in an arrow point across its shell roll along in the grass … knowing the bit-bombs as well as he did, Ranma didn't have to wonder what the thing was saying. It knew that G'Nolga was a bad person, and the programming of Brianna's bit-bombs was to blow up bad guys … Ranma would be very surprised if the thing would not say "Go Boom on You!" at least once during the night.

"It's got the right idea!" agreed Brianna. "Let's _go_!"

* * *

Author's Notes; Here's a little preview of the problem-words that will be taken up in future writing tips; Than/Then, Sight/Site, Sole/Soul, Definitely/Defiantly, Weather/Whether and finally, Their/They're, not necessarily in that order. More will pop up as I go along, but it was only a little preview, so there was no need to include every single problem.

On a different note, I'm sure some of you out there might react to my repeated use of the word "Civilisation" as opposed to "Civilization" … that is simply because they both mean the same thing, and are both perfectly acceptable within the English language, and it is the word I am more comfortable with, so if some of you feel inspired to write me to report this, please don't, it is a conscious choice, and unless someone can _prove_ me wrong, with references to specific texts, I will not change it. Also, from my understanding of the term "Thermal Movement", it means the movement of air, or more specifically, heat … if this is wrong, please correct me, but please do so in a polite manner, giving me references to locations where I will be told what was wrong. Sorry for sounding rude.

Small writing tip; supplied in part by borg rabbit; "Quite" and "Quiet". Someone or something that is "Quiet" makes only a small amount of noise. You use "Quite" to indicate that something is the case to a fairly great extent, or as a less empathic substitute for "very" or "extremely". You use "Quite" after a negative to make what you are saying weaker or less definite, or express agreement

Credits; Thanks to TerraBull, who prompted me to write about what was going on with Romeo and Moisha … apparently, they had been silent for too long … the actions were of my own design, but the strong suggestion to write about them was given to me by TerraBull. I also realised that the ki cannons were partially based on a concept I read earlier … in the Fourth Power, by fullsailnate … the ray guns in that story greatly resembles the result made by the ki cannon … if the author happens to read this story, I apologise if I failed to mention this earlier, but I merely came to realise it now. An additional thanks to my parents, who conceived me and my sister deliberately twenty-three years and eight months ago, and an even bigger thanks to my mom who birthed us both twenty-three years ago to the day.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

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"G'Nolga, you're being unreasonable!"

It was dark at the Arms-Master's Palace, and G'Nolga had returned from her little excursion to the local tavern. The Palace was well guarded, as the four guards at the main gate could testify to by their presence.

"You're going to ruin everything!" finished the angry male voice. So loud had it been that the outburst had been audible across the grounds surrounding the Palace.

Along one slightly diagonal wall, a shadow lurked, and was scaling it towards the open window eight feet over the roof of a lower floor … it was a well formed, if petite, female shadow, but it made progress.

"Say what you want, Tirant, but I won't change my mind!" snapped G'Nolga stubbornly. The sound of the heated conversation carried through the window the shadow was headed for. "I intended to face Julia in the final contest of the Tournament … No tricks! _No traps_!"

"And what happens if you lose, G'Nolga?" argued the man, Tirant. "All of our planning and hard work, _shot to **pieces**_!"

By this time, the shadow had gotten into the light cast from within, and revealed Sheila in her hybrid form as she flattened herself against the wall, barely looking in, while listening in on the conversation. Inside, she could see a tall, bald, muscular man in a grey robe, facing G'Nolga, who had her back turned to him, showing that she did not consider him much of a threat.

"I won't _lose_, Tirant!" protested G'Nolga confidently. "I _swear_ I won't!"

"Why, oh _why_ am I not reassured?" asked Tirant sarcastically. "Perhaps because you've never … _EVER_ been able to defeat Julia without resorting to trickery or deceit …"

"That doesn't matter!" argued G'Nolga. "_Nothing_ else matters!"

"Then what does, G'Nolga?" asked Tirant. "What?"

"Honour."

"Ugh … There's that - _word_ again …" groaned Tirant. "Well, let me remind you a little of what's at stake. If you aren't the representative of the _first champion_ of Jade, the Arms-Master, then we'll never be able to pass through the enchantments the Elders placed to seal the secret chambers of the Ancient Temples dotting this world … the Ziggurats!"

"Those temples are nothing more than museums and tourist traps, Tirant! Face it!" countered G'Nolga in a huff.

"What better place to put the most powerful _weapons_ and defences ever created, G'Nolga?"

G'Nolga had nothing to say to this argument.

"The Elders created those artefacts after the first champion of Jade defeated the legendary Shadows to protect Jade … in the event of the Shadows' return," continued Tirant. "But they hid them to keep later generations from fighting over such _tremendous **power**_!"

Sheila was very surprised … she had suspected that G'Nolga was up to no good with someone, but this certainly took the cake and every other pastry she could name … now, if she could only find out what they did with their kidnapped victims …

So preoccupied was she with listening in on the departing two that she failed to notice a soundless shadow dropping down behind her on the ledge she was crouching on under the window … and the well endowed shadow had in its possession a huge sword.

Sheila _did_ notice, however, when the shadow moved to strike her down with said sword, as the pale moonlight was just bright enough to cast a shadow on the wall, alerting her to the movement once she no longer had the two villains inside to focus her attention on.

She barely had time to throw herself to the side before the huge sword ploughed through the window and wall where she had been, incidentally casting the attacker in light, revealing a woman … the woman in charge of security, Hanza.

Sheila crawled away from the woman as she tried to pry her sword loose from the stone wall, wondering how she had snuck up on her … Sheila's jagwere hearing should have picked up even the slightest sound.

A closer look explained it all, as Hanza was cursing up a storm while pulling at her sword, yet not a sound escaped her. She had gotten a Silence enchantment around her, making it impossible for her to make a sound … including sounding the alarm.

Sheila came to the decision that she had better put Hanza out of commission before the situation changed, and called forth her weapon, the Ice Scimitar.

Hanza said something, but under the spell, no sound escaped … how fortunate for Sheila that she could read lips, and was not pleased.

In response to the derogatory profanity, Sheila continued the battle that Hanza had started.

"And the same goes double for you!" she added after informing Hanza of her skill in silent communication, slashing her Ice Fang upwards with enough speed to put Hanza partially off balance as she blocked.

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Back on the ground, Ranma, Beebee, Lydia, Gina, Brianna and Luan had arrived under the cover of some shrubs and bushes, and had a clear view of the roof where Sheila and Hanza were battling. Carla had trailed off as soon as they came near a bar, wanting to celebrate Julia's victory, and was therefore not with them.

It was dark, but Ranma could clearly see Sheila fighting some woman, and by the looks of it, she was about to lose.

Seeing that she could not hold her own against someone with superior skill, Ranma leapt into action … literally.

Before any of the women on the ground could blink, Ranma had launched himself at the roof, moving as silently through the air as a single leaf caught in the wind, which was little more than a whisper that could be passed off as a light gust of wind.

Behind him, Ranma could sense Brianna and Beebee readying their weapons for the coming confrontation.

Sheila had just struck the roof with an ice spell, causing large irregular shaped blocks of ice to spring into existence in an attempt to freeze Hanza inside, but Hanza had leapt clear of it, and was descending on Sheila with a flying kick.

This kick would have sent Sheila crashing off the roof, but not even an inch before hitting her mark, Sheila's forehead, her foot was caught by the ankle, and her momentum halted immediately by an unwavering black-furred hand. This caused both women to blink in confusion.

"Don't hurt my friends," growled Ranma warningly at Hanza before throwing her back in the direction she had jumped from, sending her bottom first into the blocks of ice.

Sheila, who had been on the edge of the roof, was shocked to see the kick stopped, and just as shocked to see Ranma again … as such, she lost her balance, got turned around and was teetering dangerously on her toes, windmilling her arms in an attempt to regain the balance she had lost. It was a good thing she was in hybrid form, as her human form's sizable breasts would surely have been a deciding factor in her fall.

"OW!"

A yank, gentle though it was, on her tail caused her to fall backwards onto the roof, and got a slightly sore bum as a result … better than the bruises Hanza would get …

By this time, Hanza had gotten to her feet, rubbing her sore posterior while keeping her weight on her sword.

She looked at her aggressor, and nearly laughed at his size … he couldn't be much taller than her, and since she became a woman, she was shorter than as a man, nearly as short as the jagwere she had been about to take care of. And judging from his outfit, he was a mage … wait, there was something familiar about him …

Ranma watched as recognition lit up in the woman's eyes. He had also recognised her … it was the former man he had been paired up against to test his skill before his sparring match with Weapons-Master Karia … Honda, Hansa … something like that … the one that ran away when he confronted her with her secret.

Hanza spoke, although no sound came out … but there was no need … Ranma could understand her intention. She was trying to inform him that she wasn't going to run away this time … that last time, she had been surprised by his revelation of her secret, and this was the only reason she had fled.

"Well, then …" sighed Ranma, drawing his sword from stuff space. "Let's do this thing …"

With a hum of power, the sword activated, illuminating the trio in blue light where they stood on the roof, and adding reflecting and refracting light because of the ice acting like a lens.

This was unlike any magic Hanza had ever seen … sure, she had seen swords light up, but not without a blade for the magical energy to be affixed to, and it was usually fire to deal out additional damage. There had been no blade at the end of that semi-hollow hilt-like thing, and he hadn't uttered an incantation or command to power the glowing beam that stopped growing at four feet in length … And since when did a mage chose a _weapon_ over their _magic_?

Hanza was starting to think that this was a bad idea … that she should get out while she still had her health and body, despite it being female and more susceptible to powerful emotions … it was, after all, the only one she had, and without it, she was dead …

-KOOOOOOM!-

Hanza felt a surge of intense heat lick up her spine as she deliberated the possibilities, and noticed a bright flare-up of light originating just behind her.

Looking cautiously over her shoulder, Hanza spotted a huge hole in the roof behind her, ending just before the patch of roof she was on. Some smoke was rising from her back, causing her to try and catch a glimpse of its origin, something that was as easy to do as for a pitbull to catch its tail … she spun in circles trying to see, giving Ranma and Sheila a free view of the bare back of the former man … from the back, her outfit was little more than a bikini bottom barely reaching halfway up her behind, with a slim choker around her neck in a colour matching the bikini bottom, while forming into a one-piece suit in the front.

Sheila was quick in getting to her feet and covering up Ranma's eyes … it wouldn't be good for him to get such an eyeful and thereby find her less attractive … now, how could she get away with dressing like that, without Gar finding out about it and get beat up trying to do the same to Ranma for leering at his sister? And how would she hide him from the rest of Jade? There were still women out there looking for their mysterious werecat saviour, and one look at him would spread the word and make it impossible for her to keep him for herself.

Ranma was surprised … he had no idea why Brianna had missed, she spent hours calibrating her automated aim … not that he condoned her firing at his opponents, but this issue had him slightly worried … what if Beebee blew up because of a similar calibration error on Brianna's part? That would not be good … he had grown to like the former bit bomb.

Hanza was now panicking … someone had destroyed her clothes … this in itself was not so bad had she not been in them at the time, and had she just barely, by the skin off her back, escaped death.

Not wanting to take a chance of another of those blasts, she slipped on a ring on her finger, and faded off into thin air.

"You know," commented Ranma as Sheila removed her hands. "I _really_ don't like those _spell_ rings …"

He could have tracked the escaping woman through other means than visual, of course, but Gina and the others on the ground had started running along the ground in the opposite direction … and judging from Brianna's little miss, they were a bigger threat to themselves than the invisible woman. They needed him there to save them if they repeated another mistake like the incident that created a big smouldering hole in the roof.

The ruined suits of armour on the ground did nothing to reassure him of their safety … luckily those armours seemed empty so no lives were lost …

Sheila also seemed to give up on the idea of tracking Hanza, and followed Ranma, giving the big number of women he suddenly joined a glare for good measure. What, apart from the obvious, did they have that she didn't, to get him to come running like that?

This chase through the property continued until Gina stopped after three changes of direction.

"I don't get this!" she exclaimed in frustration. "According to my calculations, there is supposed to be a secret passage right here!"

"Then it looks like it's time for plan B!" said Brianna with a maniacal gleam and tone.

"What's plan B?" asked Sheila dumbly, watching as Brianna looked at the wall where the passage was supposed to be.

"HIT THE DIRT!" exclaimed Beebee once she recognised the signs of her creator's idea.

-FRAG!-

The warning had come a little late, as the wall now sported a large hole, with rubble spread in all directions from it … it was a good thing the shock wave was _mostly_ blasted inwards instead of out, or the lot of them could have sported holes similar to the wall.

"WHOOO!" whooped Brianna triumphantly. "I AM _SUCH_ A _TANK_!"

Gina was not pleased, as this had undoubtedly drawn more attention to them, and ensured that they would not be able to leave without further incident. Brianna countered playfully by stating that this would then have to become a Black Op, no witnesses … she quickly amended her statement by adding that she was joking. This, of course, had Sheila and Luan asking what a Black Op was, as they were not familiar with the expression.

"Let's just locate Sheila's team so we can get out of here!" huffed Gina and looked at her tracking device once more.

"Don't forget peebochu!" interrupted Brianna.

Ranma was slightly miffed that they hadn't thought to ask him to track anyone … he was good at tracking when he knew what to look for, and werecat auras would stand out in this place, if all its guards were animated suits of armour.

"I've got a lock on four bio-patterns!" chirped Gina suddenly. "They're werecats, just like Sheila! And I've located your bit bomb, Brianna … locking on …"

Enemy detected recited the mask Brianna had put on … her targeting system.

"Hot diggity!" crowed Brianna. "More targets!"

Ranma felt it before he saw it … someone teleported into the area, right behind Brianna.

"Brianna! Behind you!" screamed Luan, who had been watching. But the warning came too late, again, and the armoured man had used his twin swords to slash up Brianna's armour in a mighty shower of sparks, particularly the couplings holding the cannons in place, and sending her to the ground, unconscious.

Luan was the first to act, by pulling out a set off nunchaku and lunging at the armoured man even before Brianna had come to lie still from her fall.

"Leave her alone! I shall be your opponent!" declared Luan angrily just before arriving at her target with a downwards windmill swing of her weapon of choice. This attack was blocked with ease. "Run! I'll catch up!" she added to her comrades as she grabbed one end of the nunchaku in each hand and looped it around the armoured man's neck as she jumped over him.

As the chain connecting the two ends went taut, Luan was on the other side of the armoured man, and braced herself against the wall, preparing to give a mighty thrust that would send the man head first into the other wall, with her weight behind him.

"Hnf … nice moves," commented the armoured man casually. "Too bad I can do this!"

In a puff of flame, he had vanished from Luan's grasp, causing her to fall to the ground.

He reappeared a few feet away, one of his swords raised vertically along the front of his body.

"… and now-" he continued.

"Hold, Rook …" commanded a female voice. The woman stepped into sight, revealing G'Nolga, shouldering a Sansetsukon with two of its sections locked together. "Her technique … her fighting style … she is a student of Julia's for certain! She's _mine_!"

Luan was shocked at the sudden appearance of G'Nolga, and as such, stuttered her name in fear.

G'Nolga's statement sunk in with the armoured man, Rook, and with a maniacal tone, suggested the others, who could only have some association to Julia, be taken as hostages.

"No," G'Nolga disagreed. "I'm not taking hostages this time … I want to beat Julia while she is using all her might and fury … her defeat will be all the more bitter when she _cannot_ avenge her _**dead**_ _loved ones_! Unless teacher's pet can somehow defeat _me_ … come, girl, show G'Nolga what teacher has taught you!"

"_Wait_!" interrupted a firm, male voice. A spear lit up, crackling with electricity in the visible spectrum, spreading the scent of ozone around the corridor. Holding this spear was a familiar werejaguar, Gar. "She's _not_ the only student of Julia, I am one of her pupils as well and if you mess with one of us, _you mess with all of us_!"

Ranma moved to block Rook's access to the others, even if he knew that most of them could take care of themselves, but Brianna was not exactly fit enough to fight at the moment, and Gina was dependant on her gadgets.

Holding his deactivated sword at his side, Ranma tried to look as imposing as possible to deter Rook from attacking. Or at least as imposing as possible without using his techniques … it would have been excessive to use the Flaming Skull technique or any other technique … besides, more often than not _the best solution was found in simplicity_.

Rook seemed to understand, and was more focused on the impending battle between G'Nolga and two of Julia's students, an event for which Ranma himself gave a bit of his attention, while the rest was on the possible threat and those he protected.

"Two of Julia's students!" chuckled G'Nolga as she attached the last third of her weapon to the others, forming a complete eight feet long staff, which most would say was much too long for a dwarf. "What an excellent opportunity to refine myself against her techniques, albeit indirectly … but take heart, should you strike me even _once_, you shall be allowed your freedom … _and_ I will face you both with my _eyes shut_! Ready? _**BEGIN**_!"

At her own signal, G'Nolga twirled her heavy weapon around her body expertly, striking at both opponents at once, and they barely managed to block the blunt weapon with their own before they were struck.

Before Gar could recover, G'Nolga spun around and swept his feet from under him from behind with her Sansetsukon, then used the other end to strike Luan across the ribs, just below the nunchaku Luan was attempting to block the attack with.

The force behind this attack send Luan crashing shoulders first into the ground.

Brianna had finally regained her senses, and was outraged at how her friends were treated in the fight, but a shift in Rook's posture caused her to shut up … Ranma had shifted with his opponent, and therefore deterred Rook from actually _doing_ something, but it wouldn't be wise to test how far she could push the limits before they were attacked despite Ranma's presence.

"Gina," she commented. "We need to quit skipping mom's self-defense classes …"

Ranma watched as G'Nolga tried a reverse order of her previous attack, but failed, as Luan jumped the sweeping staff, and Gar blocked it.

Luan tried to get G'Nolga from behind, but her nunchaku was blocked easily by the female dwarf, who still fought with her eyes closed. "I'm running out of tricks!" the former ninja declared desperately.

"I've got _one more_ up my sleeve!" grunted Gar and slammed his spear into the ground, holding it in place with his palms vertical and facing each other. One hand curled into a Ram hand seal, and static energy started flashing in arcs around him and his weapon. "_Kaiser **THUNDER CRUSH**_!"

A huge ball of electric energy rushed at G'Nolga, who opened her eyes in a snap and detached the three parts of her weapon. Swinging one end, she deflected the attack into the roof as easily as though it had been a foam ball.

"Good," complimented G'Nolga. "Very good! The fact that you're both still alive is a testament to your skill … you surprised me, not only did I have to use my eyes in battle – I had to section my staff as well … something I don't do unless I feel … _threatened_. You should feel honoured!"

Ranma watched this confrontation, but as he did, he heard Gina point out something hanging on the ceiling … it was peebochu.

The bit bomb was in stealth mode, but perfectly visible to anyone who knew what to look for, could sense it, or wore ultra or infra specs. It was hanging from the ceiling and glaring down at the dangers to its creator.

For a moment, Ranma felt a strong discharge of energy from the grounds surrounding this place, and decided that either reinforcements had come for G'Nolga, or for them … judging by the purity of the energy, he was willing to wager good money on the last choice.

Meanwhile, Gar was on the offensive against G'Nolga, swinging his spear in what appeared to be a sloppy move, something G'Nolga was all to pleased to point out, only to be surprised when as she blocked, a fist came at her, giving her just enough time to raise her forearms to protect her face.

Ranma could _feel_ from across the corridor that there was a break in her radius bone, not serious enough to require setting it right, but debilitating nonetheless. The force behind the hit also had the side effect of tearing the skin, which would be another disadvantage.

This was when Luan chose to make _her_ move, and charged in with a downward slam that would have cracked G'Nolga's skull open, had she not rolled forward and out of the way in time … leaving instead a crater where the nunchaku struck. A loud expletive followed.

"We had her!" continued Luan after her outburst.

G'Nolga, meanwhile, skid to a halt against the opposite wall, breathing heavily from injury and physical strain.

"Why – you -" –huff- "- dirty -" -huh- "- pair of _**fakers**_!" G'Nolga gasped, only now figuring things out. "All this time! From the very moment we _started_! You two have been _hiding_ your _true abilities_!"

Realising they had been caught, Luan cursed once more.

"Those shaky fighting stances you both used … that sloppy form!" this revelation seemed to excite G'Nolga even more than the battle had so far. "That false look of _fear_ in your eyes – it was all an _act_! An act to get me to lower my guard! Oooh, Julia! Good _job_, Julia! Oh, you taught them **well**!"

Ranma saw and felt G'Nolga gathering her energy merely a moment before she rushed in, her sectioned staff held firmly in her good arm.

"A- a _Master Technique_!" exclaimed Luan in fear.

"Damn!" agreed Gar. "_BLOCK_!"

They didn't manage to raise their defences in time, and were hit with the full force of the attack, which sent them sprawling across the corridor, writhing and moaning in agony.

"Good job …" complimented G'Nolga as she caught the loose end of her section staff. "You almost had me _that_ time … but that, I think, was your last try … as amusing as this contest has been, it is over … two fractured lower ribs …twisted right wrist …" she recited while looking at Luan. "… heavy internal bleeding … dislocated left shoulder," she added after shifting her sight to Gar. "No. I think you'll both be staying down this time."

Ranma was not about to let things go further. She would without a doubt finish the two off if left to it. With a nod to Lydia, Ranma sped up greatly, and got into position between G'Nolga and her defeated opponents. To anyone not trained well enough, it would have appeared that he teleported, but appearances were deceiving.

As soon as Ranma made his move, Lydia, Beebee and Sheila formed a protective circle-… er … _triangle_, around the two Diggers women, their weapons at the ready, and glaring at Rook to deter any action on his part.

G'Nolga was among those few skilled enough to detect Ranma's quick movements, but didn't make a move until Ranma had gotten to his mark, and then it was only into a defensive stance.

"Leave them alone," stated Ranma warningly, and held his deactivated sword at his side.

G'Nolga seemed surprised at the tone, and unnerved for some reason … there was something about him that made her uneasy. The only word she could think of to describe this deceptively strong werecat was … _manly_ …

"And what will you do if I don't, _mage_?" asked G'Nolga, gripping her weapon in a firmer hand. She was starting to get nervous … no man had awoken the sensations she now felt, and he barely seemed halfway through his teens … added to that, she was not at her best, and knew that fighting a mage at the level of skill this one seemed to be at would be difficult enough with _both_ arms.

"I'll fight," replied Ranma in a tone that suggested that it should have been obvious. Now, Ranma was no fool, despite how he had been perceived before his transformation, and he knew that he stood a very small chance of winning against this woman … even with an injury like her broken arm. He would have to be as slippery as a wet, greased bar of soap in the shower to avoid her attacks … though he had the advantage of being less exhausted, not having used a great portion of his strength into a single strike …

The two stared at each other in still and silent combat of will.

"You'll never beat Master Julia," groaned Gar defiantly. "We would never have been able to _injure_ Master Julia like we did to you … she's stronger than you ever will be! And with your injured arm, her victory will be all the simpler!"

G'Nolga's attention was shifted to the injured jagwere, and Ranma could feel her anger start to rise at the touchy subject. Ranma wasn't all that pleased himself … was that idiot _trying_ to provoke her into a fight? When he healed, Ranma was going to seriously injure him … _no one_ had the right to pick his battles for him, damn it …

"You don't have the _heart_ to face teacher in a true battle, which is why you keep trying to find ways to weaken her will before each fight!" finished Gar smugly.

This was the last straw for G'Nolga, and with a roar of rage, her muscles tensed for another Master Technique.

While the loose end of the section staff descended with enough power to crack steel, Ranma activated his sword and brought it to bare, blocking the incoming blunt weapon, but surprisingly didn't cut through it.

Sensing movement along the roof, Ranma extended his arm towards where the peebochu was, and held it in place with telekinesis … it was a breach of his limitations, but if that thing exploded in this corridor, lives could be lost from the explosion or the falling rubble of the collapsing building.

It was a good thing the force of the blow he blocked pushed him back a little, so the arm gesture could pass off as an attempt to balance himself.

G'Nolga was far from finished, and instead of strength, started focusing on speed, so Ranma did the same, and made sure to block every weapon attack with his own weapon, and _dodge_ anything else … he wasn't going to concede himself into believing that he could take what was being dished out, no matter how much of an additional edge his hybrid form gave him. He would not use his sealed techniques to win …

To his credit, he was keeping up with the pace G'Nolga was setting, and avoided every attempt to sneak in a strike or kick following her weapon, which only served to further agitate her.

"Stand still, you little _brat_!" G'Nolga bellowed finally as Ranma leapt over her low sweeping kick, and tagged her on the chin. For some reason, she was starting to get _excited_ … this kid was keeping up with her, but unlike the students of her nemesis, he was not biting off more than he could chew by attacking recklessly. And despite his shorter-than-average height, he was certainly no slacker … in fact, he seemed to be a very seasoned warrior, knowing the pitfalls that others might have fallen into in their quest to find an opening in her defences. And his weapon was unlike any she had seen before, but he wielded it expertly.

"No," replied Ranma as he ducked below a swipe of the Sansetsukon and retaliated with dropping to the ground and sweeping at G'Nolga's feet. "That would be dumb, especially against a stronger opponent, and I try to keep dumb moves to a minimum, thank you very much …"

Ranma's fight had drawn the attention of his group, which left their backs unprotected from sneak attacks.

Rook took advantage of this, and teleported to the back of the group just as Sheila _accidentally_ moved her Ice Fang to that exact spot, instantly freezing the ghost in armour into a solid block … an off-balance block of ice that teetered dangerously until Brianna seized the opportunity and poked Rook's head, sending him crashing into the ground, and smashing the ice, and anything in it, into countless pieces. Of course, it helped that the ice made Rook extra brittle …

The crash made G'Nolga look away at a crucial moment, and thus got tagged at the side of her head by Ranma's airborne roundhouse kick.

The kick had been weak in comparison to G'Nolga's attacks, bust still strong enough to cause her to fall down.

"Why you little-" growled G'Nolga and wiped away a trickle of blood from the side of her mouth, using her good arm.

Any further statement was blown away quite literally, as the doors at the end of the corridor exploded inwards, revealing Dr Diggers, Carla and the rest of the Northern Edge Guard.

G'Nolga may be many things, but not a fool … and she realised that there was no way for her to win against this many battle-ready opponents, especially when she was having trouble with the one she was currently fighting.

Getting to her feet with as much dignity as she could muster, G'Nolga grabbed her weapon and walked away further into the Palace.

"You are all trespassing …" she stated formally. "Giddoff my _property_!"

Before she was out of sight, she gave Ranma another look. She would _definitely_ have to finish this fight later when she was in better health and didn't have Julia to fight just after.

Now, where did Rook get off to?

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All was calm in the small town that had been made with the Tournament in mind, most of the honest folk had gone to bed so they could be well rested to watch the battles taking place the following day.

This was not the case for all, as a swirling portal sprung into being on the street, depositing a large group of people. These people were Dr Diggers, Gina, Brianna, Sheila, Gar, Beebee, Lydia, Onoli, Thropan, Tirga, Carla, Luan and finally Ranma.

"Jinkies!" exclaimed Gina as she exited the gate, holding on to her hat so it wouldn't get blown off by the gusts of wind created by the gate. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that Dimension Gate of yours, dad … that was _nuts_!"

"I planted an "_anchor_" here before I went to _G'Nolga's Palace_ …" explained Dr Diggers. "But even with the "anchor", the _Dimension Gate_ suffers severe _disruption_ from the enchantments protecting that palace. I wouldn't even have risked it under _normal_ circumstances … come on through, everyone, the gate has stabilised."

"Thank you, Sensei," said Ranma gratefully and in a sedated tone … he hadn't been reprimanded for his behaviour, but Ranma was certain that his sensei disapproved of his actions at the Palace. Some form of punishment was sure to come once most of the group had cleared away.

"And Gina?" continued Dr Diggers after nodding to those coming through, acknowledging their gratitude. "Next time, please wait before charging through! Any lesser mage may have lost you …"

"Oh …" Gina hadn't realised how close she was to simply cease _being_. "Sorry, dad …"

"Listen up, guys …" started Sheila as soon as her fellow Northern Edge Guard members had gotten through the green swirling portal of energy. "I overheard G'Nolga and her cohort talking before the trouble began. They're trying to get their hands on some ancient artefacts! Powerful ones! We can go inside and I'll give you all the juicy details … I think I've cracked this caper wide open!"

"Artefacts, hmm?" asked Dr Diggers thoughtfully.

"So the mission was a success," concluded Thropan.

"_You're_ the one who sent Sheila on that mission?" demanded Ranma, suddenly much closer to the werepanther than he had previously been, and radiating enough anger to cause even the most hardened warriors participating in the Tournament to pause. "She could have gotten seriously hurt _or worse_ if we hadn't arrived at the scene in time! _What do you have to say for yourself_?"

Thropan, not prepared for the sudden change in moods from the dark-furred werecat, gulped nervously as he leaned away from the scary face.

"I- er" the werepanther started, but realised that there was nothing he could say that would not make him look guilty or try to shun the responsibility onto others … neither of which would get him out of a beating, something he would rather avoid considering that Ranma was a werecreature, and injuries sustained from magic, silver or fellow werecreatures took at least twice as long as normal to heal.

"Oh, Ranma! You _do_ care about me!"

-FWUMP!-

Ranma suddenly found himself hugged by a tall, muscled and well stacked woman in a much too tight outfit that reminded of a bathing suit with a cumber bun in matching colour, and with an intentional hole for a tail at the base of her coccyx, exposing a patch of pale skin just above where her cheeks split.

This was no doubt Sheila in human form, Ranma concluded, but found that he was in no position to argue the motives his actions, as his natural reaction had been to turn to the incoming person, a reaction which had landed his face, including both intakes for air, smack between the abundant globes of flesh that threatened to burst from their dark confinement at any moment.

"Hey!" interrupted Beebee. "Leave some room for me!"

Had Ranma felt any hope of being rescued from this embarrassing position, it dwindled as he found himself breathing easier, but with an additional pair of arms around him and some semi-firm globes poking into his back.

This started a landslide of females wanting in on the action, as Brianna, Gina and Lydia tried to squeeze in as well.

Carla had other plans, for some reason she was not interested in Ranma. Luan and Gar, on the other hand, decided to seek out a healer on their own, as no one else had the presence of mind to take them to one.

Ranma had one leg in Heaven, and one in Hell.

He was being hugged by several beautiful and well endowed women, all of whom were very interested in him. But on the other hand, not all of them were in agreement of sharing, and were trying to get the others away without waking the ire of their affection, causing them to inadvertently squeeze him harder in aggravation.

Just before he passed out from asphyxiation, Ranma couldn't help but wonder what he had done to deserve this sweet, sweet torture.

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Meanwhile, back on Earth, the Amazons were licking their wounds, so to speak. Pride had been their biggest casualty during their heated reunion with the pink, exploding, mechanical turtles, and other than a few singed strands of hair and some bruises, they were mostly in good health.

Cologne was among those most badly injured as she had made an attempt to shield her warriors from the explosions … it had not been as successful as she had hoped.

The Amazon leader from Jade hardly had a scratch on her, as her group had been more of a perimeter guard to make sure no outside interference could disturb the retrieval of the wily werecat … of course, those little buggers hardly needed outside assistance in their tasks …

But the mission had not been completely fruitless … they had learned that the werecat was no longer present, but the avatars of _technology_ had interfered before they could get the new location.

This left them in somewhat of a bind.

They had little left of their rations, and they could not spend the gold they had with them, because it was payment from the Earth Amazons for services rendered, and the Head of the Clan would not appreciate them spending village funds. Hunting for food was always an option, but there were not enough edible wildlife around to support them for long, and the inhabitants of the area would undoubtedly start missing their domesticated animals if those became their next prey.

And as none of them had essential papers with them, such as passports, visa or identification of any other kind, gaining temporary employment was also out of the question, and their honour would not allow them to … _appropriate_ their supplies for long enough to wait for Ranma to return. Cage fighting was an option, but given that the last time they had underestimated one of the pathetic male fighters in this country, he ended up married to nearly half a dozen of them … it would not do to have to bring more unwilling husbands with them than the one they currently had to contend with.

This left them little choice … they would have to assume that Julia Brigand Diggers had returned to Jade to regain her honour, and that Ranma had come with her, but for what reason, Cologne shuddered to contemplate. If what she feared turned out to be the case, retrieving Son-In-Law would prove far more difficult than she was comfortable with, and they had vested far too much effort and gold into Ranma to simply release him from the Kiss.

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Britanny was having a frustrating day.

Those crazy, armed women had left the property a mess … well, technically, more than half of the damage was made by the exploding peebos, but those women had set them off!

She had tried to get those Super Construction Votoms to clean up the damage, but for some reason, those _dern_ things remained unresponsive to her commands.

It was enough for her to want to tear something apart.

So here she was, wandering through Gina's labs in search of some SCVs that actually _reacted_, while Stryyp coordinated some basic clean-up of the property.

-Sniffle-

Her delicious grilled tuna had been ruined in the fight … and she had honestly intended to _share_ with everyone … well, maybe not, but it was still mean of those women to ruin her favourite food.

As she walked down the corridor, Britanny couldn't help but feel that something was amiss … but what?

The walls were in one piece … or, rather, the sectioned plates that made the walls were not broken or out of place.

None of the lights had gone out …

Everything was kept immaculately clean …

The wererat prisoners were missing …

The instruments seemed to be in place …

The computers were running through series of test simulations that Dao no doubt was keeping tabs on for Gina, or at least he would be when he was done clean-

"Wait a minute …" Britanny muttered and retreated a few steps.

There it was, indisputable proof that Gina should never leave anything of importance behind when she went on her trips … the cell that had held the two wererat ninja for weeks was empty, and the force field that served as a door was still active.

Oh, she was _so_ never going to hear the end of this …

"Crud …"

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Author's Notes; _Don't hate me_! I thought it had been a long time since the "manly" shtick had been seen and couldn't resist the siren song that compelled me to bring it back …

It also seems that I have trouble distinguishing between the words "Emphatic" and "Empathic" … I will take those words under a more thorough investigation before use the next time around …

For the past week, I've tried to post this chapter, but really didn't want to, because as you may have noticed, the ruler I use to separate sections would not function, and I was determined not to post until I could get it to function again ... unfortunately, I became impatient, and hope you can forgive me for deciding that I can correct it later when the ruler function is working.

Further more … it seems I will have to increase the number of writing tips per chapter, because as it now stands, I have enough for more than the next twenty chapters, meaning I've planned into the fiftieth chapter for writing tips, but not for the plot … yet …

Small writing tip; "Than" and "Then". You use "Than" after a comparative adjective or adverb in order to link two parts of a comparison. "Then" means at a particular time in the past or future. You use "Then" in conversation to indicate that what you are about to say follows logically in some way from what has just been said or implied. You use "Then" to introduce the second part of a sentence which begins with "if". The first part of the sentence describes a possible situation, and _then_ introduces the result of the situation.

Second writing tip; "Stare" and "Star". I assume most people out there know what a "Star" is, but for those who do not, it can mean one of two things, either one of the billions of celestial bodies hanging around in outer space, or it means a celebrity. If you "Stare" at someone or something, you look at them for a long time, or sometimes, "the answer can "Stare" you in the face," meaning the answer to a bothersome quandary is right in front of you.

Additional writing tip; Do not use chat-slang or spelling (like U instead of You, H8 instead of Hate, etc) unless the character is chatting with someone online … you are supposed to be writing a story, and those who use this style are only annoying their readers to the point of driving them to reporting the story to the site Management. If you have objections to my friendly advice, take it up with the management and make sure to read through the rules of this site one more time … they can actually kick authors out for doing that kind of stuff enough times … trust me, there is little that is more frustrating than being cut off for a couple of weeks for some infraction of the rules, I know from personal experience …

Credits; Thanks to Martex for correcting me on the Moat … I have no idea why the spell-check missed that one … and thanks to those who pointed out to me that I accidentally crossed a few wires in the Tavern scene and called Ranma for Harry, and trust me, there were a few of you who did write me, though not all in reviews … I've been reading Harry Potter fanfics lately, and you'd be surprised how many times I had to correct the names, but the one in question must have slipped through the cracks … the errors pointed out has been corrected on file, and will be posted as soon as I've caught up with the rereading … I'm currently around the point where someone feels I started to give away that I can't write …


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

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It was a mild and calm morning in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. The sun was peeking over the horizon, and happy birds were singing and catching breakfast. The few wispy clouds that lazily drifted away from the rising sun showed no threat of bursting into tears, and the gentle breeze that wafted through the neighbourhood hardly lifted a single fallen leaf.

Mailman Nelson, a middle-aged man with a thick beard and hardly any hair, what little he had was starting to pale with age, and love-handles that made him look like he could give birth at any moment, was walking his rounds.

It was a thankless job, but someone had to do it …

Like most overweight persons, Nelson tried to keep a positive attitude to get through the discrimination people above the average weight suffered. In his case, he looked like a younger Santa Claus, so he decided to make his job easier by really getting into character … he was the _everyday Santa_, delivering notices to those who had not been entirely good, and postcards or small parcels to those who had not been entirely bad, and _bills for everyone_!

As with most U.S. postal workers walking the beat, Nelson was eternally grateful to the man who invented the Stuff-Space generator, whoever he was … since the postal service had invested in getting those for a growing number of mailmen, their jobs had become infinitely simpler, as they no longer had to lug around the _heavy_ satchel every day, and walk back to the post office central more times if there was a lot going out to their rounds … now they could easily carry all the post they would need, and even deliver slightly larger parcels without adding weight or needing a cart to move them.

For Mailman Nelson, this was like making his character even more realistic … like the real Santa's seemingly bottomless bag of presents, his satchel now held much more than its appearances indicated, and it made the long walk and the early hours even more bearable … he was so merry that he was actually on the verge of chuckling until his belly shook like a bowlful of jelly.

As he came up along the street that was infamous for its unusual inhabitant of a woman who wore natural fur in a rather unconventional way, he saw that the property of said woman was once more a very hazardous one … or there had been some social activity that had caused this much damage.

The sight reminded him of his college days, and his days as a High School senior … the parties would last nearly all night, and the destruction left in their wake took hours, if not days, to clean up for whomever was unfortunate enough to have thrown the party … or the parents of the hosts, who had been out of town for the weekend – a very unsound decision with teens in the house. However, the destruction he was witnessing in this neighbourhood told him that it had not been made in such a festive mood as he and his fellow jock friends had been in his younger days … how that cow had ended up on the roof of the fraternity dorms, dressed in a tutu, he would never remember even if he tried …

Whatever had caused _this_, he was glad it was over now. It was sure to have been unpleasant to witness.

He really had to hand it to that family … they knew how to minimise the damage done to their neighbours, even if their own home was completely destroyed, as it had on _at least_ one occasion.

He actually liked this family, as they were kind enough to offer him cookies as his Christmas bonus … it showed that they _cared_ … But that cat-woman really freaked him out, even if she was stacked in all the right places, yet, she still _fascinated_ him … he wasn't sure if she was a cosplay-type woman, who refused to get out of costume, or of it was all real, but had he been married, he was sure his wife would disapprove of him _ogling_ the woman when she bent down to work in the garden on some warm mornings.

The catwoman's older sister seemed normal enough, apart from some of the nerdy magazines she subscribed to, but the younger one had the same look in her eyes that one or two of his co-workers had just before they grabbed a weapon and ran amuck.

Nelson had just opened the mailbox when six shadows passed over him, causing him to freeze as he saw the six that had landed on the front law of the Diggers house.

The biggest man was one wearing a mask over his lower face, he had on black clothes with flames along the hems, fishnet sleeves, a yellow scarf around his neck, and sticking out over his shoulders were two swords … shinobigatana, if Nelson remembered the terminology right from his fascination with ninja when he was younger. The man's hair stood nearly straight up, like he had been shocked with a great amount of electricity, and never really got it to lie down. The muscles on this man clearly intimidated Nelson, and most likely also whomever the man faced, the scar running down over his left eye also added to the intimidation factor.

The tallest woman was as bald as a cue ball, had ample assets, and was dressed in a green one-piece bathing suit, along with green stockings that ended mid-thigh without any visible means of keeping them in place. Her physique also spoke of vast strength, even if her taste in clothes left something to be desired … a part of Nelson, the part that was fascinated with the catwoman, also noted that the clothes left little to the imagination … actually, the clothes left _nothing_ to the imagination …

The next man was not unlike the first, only he wore blue, and his arms were uncovered with the exception of the bracers attached to his forearms, and he did not have any additional decoration to his wardrobe, which also meant no scarf … his hair was also relatively more normal compared to the other ninja.

The next woman was dressed as a maid … the only thing missing would be the hair in a neat bun, and the posture of one who lives to serve. This woman was clearly more independent in thought, and the way she moved hinted to great strength, and the way she tossed her hair showed how proud she was of it.

The last man was as bald as the first woman, but he also wore a decoration on his head, resembling a metal sweatband, along with square-rimmed glasses … his taste in clothes was no better than the rest, as his "Shaft-like" coat and goatee proved. Underneath, he wore a blue tunic and pants held up with a sash of similar colour. The closed tome under his arm proved that he had no real physical strength, but would not hesitate to throw the book at someone if his other strengths were insufficient.

The last woman at least had some fashion sense, wearing a purple top and a black skirt. Of course, both articles of clothing were shorter and tighter than necessary, but they were more fashionable. Her well-kept white hair had been bobbed, making her head look like a sleek ping-pong ball that had been cleaved along the middle to make room for a face, and her lipstick and painted nails matched her top.

Deciding that trouble was brewing, mailman Nelson stuffed the mailbox with what he could find for this address in the two seconds he afforded himself, and ran for it at speeds that would impress even the world's top sprinters.

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The six employees of Lord Erwin Talon were disgruntled, a dangerous situation when the disgruntled parties were trained to deal out pain, death and dismemberment.

The group was an entire day late for their assignment.

It had not been their fault, but rather that of their employer and the mother of said person.

Peewee's mother was still carrying a grudge against team Alpha, as Peewee had called them, for the incidents from the search of the house for the missing wererat data. It didn't matter that most of those incidents were caused by Erwin, his employees were the adults, and as such his unspoken babysitters.

As a result, since Peewee had not done his "chores" for a while, she had sat them, team alpha and team beta, to work instead.

Zelda, the bald and busty woman, was convinced that the chores had been invented on the spot, just because she knew they were in a hurry. Link, Zelda's maid-clad rival, had confirmed that previously, the rich family had hired people to do the things they had been put to do, which made the six of them hate the stern woman more … and what was worse, was that mothers _outrank_ their children, no matter what the children think, so Lord Talon was unable to impress upon her the importance of their assignment without adding to the chores.

Link and Zelda had been made to clean Erwin's room, a task his mother was not pleased with, so they had to go over it again … and again … and again. In the end, they were on their hands and knees with cotton swabs, cleaning every square inch of the room, under, behind and inside everything, only to have Peewee enter the room, filthy from some experiment, trudging it all over the room and the attached bathroom as he changed clothes, so they had to do it all over … again, this time with heavy-duty cleaning fluids just shy of being strong acids, as the muck he had brought in was on the verge of being a bio-hazard.

Having seen the _Karate Kid_ a few times too many, Erwin's mother put Daishi, who worried about getting his blue combat uniform spotted, and Shin, who had the sense to dress for the occasion with a full white cover-all designed specifically for painters, to painting the fences, claiming it was good exorcise and training. This was the only task that was not asked to be repeated.

Ionis, the bald Shaft-look-alike mage, and Janine, the white-haired bodacious mage, were set to mow the lawn, and weed the garden and flowerbeds. It was a huge garden, and it was lined with flowerbeds, as well as a few "islands" of flowers in the middle. When they were done, they had to do it again, _without magic_, because they had been caught cheating. Once they were done, they had to do it again, because they had not been thorough enough … then they had to replant the entire thing, because they had apparently ripped out a few flowers and such that they were not supposed to.

The gutters and drainpipes had to be cleaned, and once more, Peewee's mother showed perfectionism that no one else ever would, in demanding that not a speck of filth remain on or in them. This task was not delegated to any one person, so every one of them were up on the roof or on ladders with scrubbing utensils, scooping utensils and muck-buckets.

The roof then had to be tarred, and the entire crew was put to work, only to have them repeat it, because Erwin's mother found some missed spots that looked suspiciously scuffed.

Grocery shopping had been the next task the women were set to do, and repeat, as each time they returned, there was either something that had been forgotten until then, or they had gotten the wrong brand or item.

Zelda had the unfortunate experience of leaning on the newly painted fence out of exhaustion, and started getting paranoid about discovering flecks of paint on herself, which resulted in countless scrubbings and cleanings. Link hardly made things better by pointing out fictitious spots that sent the bald, bodacious babe into another scrubbing frenzy.

Ionis had tried his hand at the same practical joke, but his suggested spots were in highly unlikely places, which ended in him getting a black eye behind his glasses.

"Where's the welcome party?" asked Link, having heard how quickly they had seen their target the last time, and fully expected something similar this time, just so she could prove herself superior to Zelda by defeating their target, Ranma Koki, without her help.

"You know," commented Ionis, looking around. "It looks like we missed one _heck_ of a shindig …"

"I thought there would at least be some sort of surveillance …" said Janine, disappointed in the lack of said security.

" Voice Recognition System; Unauthorised Entry; Access Denied. "

"Did you say something, Shin?" asked Link distractedly as she scouted for any hidden werecat.

"I said nothing," Shin declared stoically. "But I believe we are surrounded."

"What makes you say that?" asked Zelda.

" Intruders on the premises; Initiate immediate countermeasures. "

With a rumble, two dozen robots rose from the ground surrounding the six minions, dirt falling from them as they moved and aimed various projectile weapons at them.

" Intruders, " monotonously started one robot with red colourings and a slightly human face. " Please vacate the premises immediately, or prepare to be forcibly ejected … you have to the count of ten to comply, or we have been programmed to utilise extreme measures … one … "

"Er, should we listen?" asked Zelda cautiously … these things had obviously been added after their last visit, which meant the Diggers women would have taken into account that they might return.

" … two … "

"This is nothing to worry about," scoffed Ionis confidently, opening his book, which then hovered in thin air before him.

" … three … "

"All I need to do is zap these things with a chain bolt of lighting, and they'll go down easily," Ionis continued.

" … four … "

"I'm not so sure," hesitated Zelda. "I'm pretty sure Gina would have thought of that …" it was grudging, but there was a slight tone of respect for the blonde scientist.

" … five … "

"If it makes you feel better, if I'm wrong, your treatment is on me, okay?" assured Ionis.

" … six … "

"All right!" exclaimed Zelda. The regeneration tanks weren't cheap, and lately, Lord Talon had started pondering the possibility of deducting the treatment from their meagre pay.

"Lightning Bolt!" yelled Ionis forcefully, directing his arms at the large metal beings.

"Aura Shield!" countered another voice from outside the tight formation of robots.

The bolt of lightning bounced off a clear shield and back at its caster, who dodged out of the way, causing it to crash harmlessly into the ground. Unfortunately, lightning is nothing but harmless in close proximity, so the group of six were lucky to only get shocked enough to stand their hair on end and experience mild jolts of pain along with temporary paralysis.

" … seven … "

"What the F#& just happened?" demanded Zelda, gritting her teeth in pain.

"I did," stated a confident, but still somewhat humble voice.

" … eight … "

Stepping into view was none other than Seance, holding his hands out and ready to cast another spell at any given moment.

" … ten … "

"WAIT!" exclaimed Link fearfully. "YOU SKIPPED _NINE_!"

" It was an untrue ploy, told to you in order to amuse our creator when she sees the recording of this encounter, " calmly informed the robot. It could do with a touch of personality, though … as it could simply have said; "Just kidding!"

"Now that we have a magic user out here, the odds have evened out a bit, don't you think?" asked Seance, smirking at the joke the robot had played the six.

" … nine … " the robot continued with no indication of mirth.

"Yeeehaaaw!" a battle cry sounded from the inside, and out the doors and windows, hundreds of eager peebos poured, making as quick a way to the surrounded six as possible.

" … ten … have a nice day … "

"_Run away_!" screamed Zelda and jumped clear of the hurtbots that surrounded them. The others soon followed her lead, and ran for their lives … er … _made a tactical retreat_.

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In Jade, Ranma was waking up as the sun hit his face, shining through the high window.

The first thing he noticed was that it was warm, yet he could not feel any blankets covering him. The second thing he noticed was that he was buried under comfortable weight … five different weights distributed over his arms, his sides and his stomach. The third thing he noticed was that there were four distinct heartbeats in addition to his own in the room, all within close proximity. And finally, he felt the breathing of four women, given the way they were shaped, scented and most pressing themselves against him.

Opening his eyes, Ranma saw five women on the bed with him.

The red hair on his front had to be Beebee, as it was the only woman he could not hear a heartbeat or breath from.

The small female shape on his right side, covered in fur, could only be Sheila, as he knew of no other small werecreature females that had displayed any open affection towards him.

The bucktoothed woman on his left could only be Lydia, because he knew no other women with bucked teeth, and she was in human form due to the secrecy surrounding the existence of wererats.

And on each arm, which was being held firmly in place at the hip, were the Diggers women left unspoken-for, Brianna and Gina.

How these five women came to this arrangement, Ranma didn't really want to know … all he could tell was that there were small, nearly unnoticeable marks of a scuffle on each of them, but they seemed to have worked things out.

Not wanting to risk female ire by staying put, but not wanting to wake them, Ranma concentrated, and managed to replace himself with a shadow clone, leaving him free to get dressed, and grab a bath.

Having passed a calm river on the way into town, Ranma knew where to grab that bath, so he pulled a big towel out of stuff space, and carefully slipped out of the room … carefully, because Lydia was a trained ninja, Sheila had super-sensitive hearing, and Beebee probably had sensors tuned in for threatening noise in the event of a sneak-attack.

Very few were out at this hour, with the sun just barely over the hill opposite the Arena, but those who were stared after Ranma as he passed them by, towel slung over his shoulder, and whistling a merry tune.

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Hidden on the rooftops with the help of an invisibility ring, Hanza was watching and following the battling werecat mage.

It was a mission assigned to her by G'Nolga, to find out as much about him as possible. He had tickled the dwarf's fancy, something very few had managed to do, so Hanza had to find out something, not only for her employer but for herself. She still wanted to find out how he had managed to see that she used to be a man before drinking that thrice damned potion without checking for warnings. To her knowledge, the werecat had not been present when that had happened, so there was no way for him to know about it, and if he had been there, her hood had been covering her face in shadows, making it impossible to recognise her based on appearance.

Hanza has seen how tense G'Nolga had been the previous night, and that tenseness had not been the result of a broken arm … that dwarf was tense in anticipation of another tumble with the werecat, which was the reason she had nearly threatened Hanza on her life to go gather information on him.

Her personal curiosity was currently on the reason why he had a towel over his shoulder … was he trying to make a fashion statement?

She followed him out of town, and his intentions were made clear when he approached a river … he was going to take a bath.

When Ranma started to remove his pants, Hanza's eroding _male_ instincts wanted her to look away … having no interest in seeing what was hidden underneath. Her swelling _female_ instincts, though a recent addition to Hanza's system, was anxious to see what was hidden as the pants were gone and the mage suit started melting away as it normally did when not needed. In the end, the male side gave up, but managed to limit the interest to looking for taunting material for their next confrontation … after all, a small werecat like that could hardly have equipment worth mentioni- _wow_!

Hanza couldn't help but stare, despite her male instincts yelling at her to look away and stop drooling.

A big part of her, the now dominating female part, was disappointed when the werecat stepped towards the water … it meant she wouldn't be able to see the nether-regions, which her eyes had been glued on since he took off his pants and mage suit, and turned around to neatly fold his pants.

Hanza was very surprised when instead of sinking into the water like normal people, the werecat was walking on top of the slowly running river, only sinking enough in to make the water splash against his feet with the current … ripples that were washed away quickly.

On top of the water, the werecat started dancing … or, it looked like dancing, until she noticed that his slow and graceful movements formed what looked like strikes and blocks with various limbs. His movements were so slow, she thought he had ceased moving for a moment, but he still was on the move, his arm slowly raising before him.

In the middle of a single whip-like strike with his arms, the werecat started to shimmer nearly unnoticeably, a sign that it would shift to another form, something Hanza was thankful for … if the werecat was this short in hybrid form, his human form had to be a lot smaller, which meant she wouldn't be reacting in very uncomfortable ways. She would still deny that the dampness of her outfit was from anything other than sitting astride a dew-covered branch if anyone asked.

Needless to say she nearly fell off that branch when instead of shrinking, the werecat grew into an even finer specimen of manliness, with more defined muscles, and _hair_, which his hybrid form suggested he had very little of.

The combat dance continued in this form, causing Hanza's heart to skip every now and again. She started wondering why he was affecting her in this manner … no man had affected her like this, and she'd seen a lot of men try to flirt with her after getting changed into a woman with no results for their efforts, and those men had several women trying to lure them upstairs in exchange for a modest sum of gold, something they were most definitely worth from Hanza's experience as a man.

It wasn't fair!

She had thought she was out of the danger-zone by now, having managed to live as a woman for over a month without feeling _anything_ for men! Why was her resolve failing now?

Finally, after what seemed like endless torture for her, the werecat in human form slowed down even further, and stopped. Slowly, he started to sink into the water, and Hanza nearly cried in relief and disappointment … she was relieved because now there wouldn't be anything to distract her, and make her question her sexual orientation further than watching him had thus far … she was disappointed because, despite herself, she had started to get in _the mood_, and now would not have a visual stimulation as a source of relief.

When the werecat was in to his knees, the slight shimmer returned, alerting her to another shift, but to her surprise, the werecat did not return into hybrid form, but rather grew a nice pair of breasts, and a neatly trimmed vagina. _The werecat had the ability to change gender **at will**_!

Forgetting all about both stealth and mission, Hanza ripped off the ring and dropped out of the tree in time to see the werecat sink to her neck in water before swimming around.

"_Tell me **how**_!" Hanza screamed unintelligibly and charged in, stopping at the water's edge.

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Ranma had been aware of being followed since she left the Tavern, had known where her pursuer had been watching her from, and deliberately limited herself to Tai Chi while running through her kata. Its slow-moving pace had a habit of luring ignorant opponents into a false sense of security, believing that an art that moved that slow could not possibly be powerful enough to beat them … that was where they were wrong … the slow pace not only built patience in the practitioner, but also engrained the knowledge of how to move through slow repetition, and built strength from controlling the speed thus … in a tight spot, the style of fighting could be just as fast and impressive as any other fighting style, and unlike many other styles, it was mostly graceful. To the untrained eye, it might appear that he was learning, which was the reason for going slow, but the trained eye would notice the grace and certainty with which he moved, and not make such a hasty decision.

She knew who was watching her, because however much it had decreased, Ranma knew of no other person in this realm that was female with a slight residual of male ki in them.

It was not surprising to her in the least when the former man had jumped from a tree and demanded to know how she had changed gender so easily.

"The wind cannot tell why it blows …" recited Ranma sagely.

"_WHAT_?"

"Nothing," assured Ranma. "I just always wanted to say something like that … makes me sound wiser than I am …"

"Just tell me how to _cure me_!" demanded the woman, raising her sword in threat.

"No," replied Ranma firmly, and started the task of rubbing her limbs to scrape off sweat and dirt from the previous days, which was difficult without a cloth, but still possible. Now, if only she had some soap …

"What do you mean 'no'?" demanded the woman. "Tell me, or I'll chop you into fish-bait!"

"You are welcome to try," Ranma casually replied, focusing on scrubbing under her arms. "But you won't succeed … and even if you somehow did, whatever secrets I have will go along with me …"

This caused the woman to pause momentarily in her action of bringing the sword down.

"_Tell me_!" growled the woman.

"Nope," chirped Ranma and quickly ducked under water to wet her hair.

"_Fine_!" declared the woman. "Then I'll have no choice but to _hound your every step_ until you accidentally let it slip!"

"It won't work …" cautioned Ranma, and decided that she had cleaned off as much as she could without a washcloth or soap. "And I doubt the others will be very pleased … but, it's your life, do as you please … er- what's your name? Starts with an 'H' …"

"Hanza," stated the woman coldly.

"Okay, Hanza, if you want to follow me around, I'd advise you one thing …"

"What?"

"Take care of business _on the toilet_ like regular people, or at least find a bush, and don't wet yourself …"

With that, Ranma rose from the water and walked to shore, where she picked up her towel and started to dry off, making sure to be extra rough to scrape off anything she might have missed while bathing.

Hanza, looked down to realise that her outfit did indeed look like she had had an _accident_, and with an embarrassed squeak, she jumped into the river to clean it out … or at least camouflage it by making the darker colour consistent.

After Ranma had towelled off, she willed her mage suit back on, and changed back to male form, before putting on the neatly folded pants.

Another shift returned him to hybrid form.

"See ya!" he called out to Hanza and started to walk back to the village.

"Hey, wait for me, you _bastard_!" screamed Hanza once she realised what was going on.

Ranma halted immediately, and slowly turned his head to look at her over his shoulder.

"My lineage is not in question, and you have no reason to belittle my mother by implying that she couldn't control her urges," he warned Hanza in a growl. "That I am the _son_ of a bastard is debatable, but it is not a subject I want to bring up at the moment … do I make myself clear?"

The hostile waves of power washed over Hanza and Ranma saw her visibly shake with dread.

"Y-yes …"

"_Good_!"

On that note, Ranma started walking back to town, towel over his shoulder. It took a moment for Hanza to recover, but when she did, she squeaked and started running after him.

Ranma was not surprised … she was as obsessed with finding a cure to her problem as he had been when he first received his curse, just like every other cursed person he knew, bar Taro who actually liked his cursed form better than his human form.

Now, how was he going to introduce this new woman to the others without them thinking he had picked up another suitor and was stringing them all along?

"Ranma, who is that?"

Ranma looked to see that he had already gotten into town, and standing before him was the five women he had shared a bed with during the night, and they had their balled-up fists on their hips or crossed under their chest, tapping at least one foot in anticipation for an answer.

Well, that took care of any pondering for scenarios, thought Ranma. At least Hanza isn't _sexually_ interested in me …

--------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes; I know this might seem like I'm trying to include Hanza in the harem, but I'm not … I _am_ going to make Hanza more insecure about her sexual preferences, but she will not be included in Ranma's harem. As always, I am going to ask you to please write me if you spot any plot-holes, typos, grammatical errors, or words that do not fit into the context they were put in … I do not intend to reread the story an infinite number of times, so if there is anything you've noticed, please inform me of it so I can catch it while I'm going through the story with a medium-tooth comb (I will not claim to be going over it with a fine-tooth comb, because I think I have proven that things can slip past my notice). And to prove my point, I will let you all in on a little secret … I read over each chapter after writing it, before posting it, and this time I managed to add three hundred words to the content of the chapter by the time I read it through, not including this section …

Small writing tip; "Sight" and "Site". Someone's "Sight" is their ability to see … a "Sight" is something that you see, or see through in the case of projectile weapons. A "Site" is a piece of ground that is used for a particular purpose or where a particular thing happens … it can also be the same as a website.

Second writing tip; "Noisy" and "Nosy". A "Noisy" person or thing makes a lot of loud or unpleasant noise. If you describe someone as "Nosy" or "Nosey", you mean that they are interested in things which do not concern them.

Credits; The idea for Hanza discovering that Ranma can change genders came from TerraBull.


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

Ranma tried his best to think of a way to explain Hanza without it ending with him needing to tax his healing ability from the pounding he was sure to receive, but after a few tense moments, gave up … there was nothing he could say that wouldn't sound like a lie, so he might as well go with the truth. They might never want to trust him again, but at least he'd feel good inside when he got it off his chest … because he'd sure as heck not feel good on the outside …

"Er … well, y' see-"

"Hey, isn't that _Hanza_?" asked Sheila suddenly, interrupting Ranma's reply. "The woman that attacked me on the roof of the Arms-Master's Palace last night!" she added to the other women, who had yet to be introduced to her. "It was night, dark, and chaotic, but that huge sword is a dead giveaway!"

Ranma mused that anyone carrying a sword easily taller than themselves stood out in a crowd, and nodded to Sheila's identification.

"Well, she followed me from the river where I took a bath … she seems to think I can cure her of her gen-"

Once more, Ranma was interrupted.

"Ranma!"

And of course it was by a woman …

The group as a whole turned to see a dark elf running down the street, not a sight one could miss, as proven by the man behind her that walked into a wall with his eyes trained on the lower hem of the bathing suit like outfit most women fighters in Jade seemed to prefer … now that Ranma thought about it, he had not realised this until that moment … was the outfit to distract male opponents, or was it simply because it made mobility easier?

This shapely elf was none other than one of the ten Weapons-Masters, Karia, and she looked very happy to see him.

"You're back!" exclaimed the woman and came to a halt before the group, eyes mainly on Ranma rather than the others. "I heard some chatter about a short, black werecat in a black mage suit wandering around, and knew it had to be you! So, when are we going to have a rematch? Soon, I hope?"

Casting a nervous glance at the simmering women surrounding him, Ranma swallowed heavily.

"I'll definitely give you a rematch," he finally forced out, choosing his words carefully to keep the others from reading anything into it. "This time I'll win!"

"Great!" Karia exclaimed. "I'll catch you again before you leave! Got to finish my morning workout!"

In her enthusiasm, the Weapons-Master gave Ranma a quick peck on the cheek before running off again.

What the dark elf failed to realise, was that she was placing Ranma in quite the sticky situation by giving him a kiss, however innocent it was.

Looking around, Ranma noticed that there were very few happy faces … in fact, the five women he had spent the night with looked very serious, and Hanza wasn't exactly happy, either. Having been on the receiving end of Righteous Womanly Fury one time too many, Ranma knew that things could get out of hand, and he was the most likely victim of it.

Deciding that he'd better get things out quickly, Ranma blurted the incident at the river before the women could demand an answer again, and realised only after having said it, that he admitted to allowing another woman to see him nude, when to his knowledge, none of the others had gotten that far yet.

"Hanza, was it?" asked Lydia, acting as spokesperson for the women after a few moments of intense staring exchanged between the five in romantic pursuit of Ranma. "Is what Ranma said, true? You're only trying to get cured of your gender-_disorder_?"

"Yes!"

"Then … we have no beef with you," announced the wererat in human form, immediately dropping the façade of being angry, and gave the neo woman a hug, which was joined by the other women. "Welcome to the group!"

Ranma was very confused … moments ago, they all looked ready to lynch him for somehow acquiring another woman, regardless of her motives for pursuing him, and suddenly they were welcoming said woman as though she was a lost lamb returned to the flock. I'll never understand women, even if I _do_ turn into one every so often … thought Ranma in resignation.

Things took a turn for the worse when the women started giggling and asked Hanza for all the details of the bath incident, or to be more precise, all the details about Ranma … Ranma himself was afraid his head would explode from embarrassment …

* * *

Back in Atlanta, Team Alpha and Team Beta returned to the mansion of their employer, fairly undamaged from the botched mission to retrieve a DNA sample from Ranma or the other werecreatures that seemed to be mysteriously drawn to the place.

The groups were very pleased with how little injury they escaped with, but their employer was not.

"You nincompoops!" ranted Erwin Talon, though he would prefer to be called Lord Talon. "You utter, complete failures! The first sign of _danger_ and you run off like scared little mice! _What kind of mercenaries are you_?"

"But there were dozens of armed robots there!" protested Zelda.

"And a mage," added Ionis helpfully. "A skilled one at that …"

"Not to mention scores of those exploding thingies the _insane_ Diggers sister makes!" continued Zelda.

"There was no possible way for us to win at those odds," finished Daishi stoically, leaning against the counter top of the kitchen, where their meeting was taking place. "And they had the home-field advantage, and an unknown number of reinforcements that could have made an appearance at any moment if we remained to fight."

"Excuses!" bellowed Peewee. "By failing so _magnificently_, you are making _me_ look incompetent! Even _Penny Pincer_ has better help than I have, and she has a bird-brained, naïve, pacifistic bodyguard, who has as of yesterday morning taken to wearing _maternity dresses_ at all waking hours!"

To illustrate his point, Peewee directed the group's attention to his laptop monitor which showed Penny Pincer exiting her car in her own drive, and Charlotte exiting the car on the other side, looking positively radiant … she must have been eating too many peanuts again, as intelligence about the Harpy told she was prone to do, because there was a slight bulge on her belly, barely noticeable unless one really _looked_ for it.

"You don't think she's really …?" Zelda muttered to Daishi, gesturing with a bun, pointing it towards the oven.

"Not likely, as she doesn't have a boyfriend, and legend about the Harpy does not suggest reproduction by mitosis … the odds are that she overate on some nuts and _thinks_ she is because of some careless person's comment or compliment … it has happened before …"

"Stop your gossiping during working hours!" interrupted Peewee. "I am trying to make some _scientific progress_ here, and none of you are of any help! Now, what conclusion have we come to as far as my employees' poor standing goes?"

"That we should kill the Harpy so you don't have the worst help anymore?" suggested Link.

"NO! _All of you need to **improve**_, _or you're **downsized**_!" corrected Peewee, his face turning a remarkable shade of purple with pent-up rage. "And I want results _within the month_!"

"A month?" blurted Zelda. "There's no way we can improve enough to make a difference in the span of a month!"

"Then you should start planning on what career to take after I blackball you from the mercenary business …" drawled Peewee smugly … there was nothing like the threat of having to start over to inspire ones minions to improve … "You are pathetic …" he added to further anger them to prove him wrong.

A sinister cackle interfered with any further admonishing or protests.

"They are indeed that, young man …" agreed a scary voice that sounded like ground rock … a voice that had weathered decades … even centuries of life.

Turning to the voice, the group of seven was very shocked to see a larger group of women, all very beautiful even if some of them were big enough to be scarier than pretty, dressed in scanty armour and carrying weapons of varying range and type, led by what appeared to be a wrinkly old monkey with long, white hair … perched on a stick.

It was not the sight of them that was the most surprising to the resident group, no … it was that Peewee had several high-tech security devices installed all around and on the property, alerting a member of the household if as much as a leaf moved, or a speck of dust settled where there was not supposed to be anyone there … not to mention that there were two very talented ninja present in the room, who had also failed to detect their entry.

Needless to say, the seven were very nervous … if this large group, large in number and because of some of their members being nearly twice as tall as the others, had managed to get past all of that, what would they then be able to do to them?

"Sonny boy … I believe I have a _business proposition_ for you …" the Monkey-on-a-stick declared in a very intimidating tone.

* * *

It was dark despite the hour of day, and the crackling of the cooking fire was slowly dying seeing as no one had been tending to it for hours.

Tendo Akane shifted in her sleep, drifting unwillingly back from the world of dreams to the world of the waking … at least she was still comfortable, and with her love, her soon-to-be husband, Hibiki Ryoga.

They had sought refuge in this cave the night before, because the clouds on the horizon threatened with stormy weather, and it was getting quite annoying for the youngest Tendo to carry both her pack and his, as well as _him_ while keeping herself from soaking to the bone by holding up an umbrella … Ryoga's umbrella, actually, which weighed close to a ton by itself. This was not an easy task, even with practice.

It was very convenient that they had found this cave, even if it was dark, it was dry and large … though there was something about it that set the hairs in the back of Akane's neck on end. And they could no longer see the entrance they had used to get in, so it was impossible to tell what time it was, or even hear what weather there was outside.

There was something wrong … that much Akane could sense, and it was this sensation that caused her to stir from her lover's side to check on things.

The fire was still there, though little more than embers at this point.

Their things were still close to them, and had not been touched.

The ground was dry, and surprisingly flat and smooth, but still as cold as rock should be in darkness.

The trail of spices left by her escaped attempt at making ramen still led into the darkness beyond the small reach of the fire. How that thing had managed to leap away from her, bowl, chopsticks and all, she would never find out, nor was she inclined to … she had to make due with dried foods for supper instead, and for some reason, Ryoga seemed relieved at the thought. She would have to get back to that thought later.

There didn't seem to be any danger around, like angry bears that didn't feel like sharing their den with a pair of humans …

Then what options remained?

Suddenly, the cave was lit with blinding brightness and with such suddenness that there was no way for Akane to have prepared herself for it.

Blinking her eyes back to normal, Akane was greeted to the sight of several men in white lab coats, and several more in military uniforms, aiming automatic and semi-automatic weaponry at her and Ryoga.

That was not all that uncommon, as authority figures seemed to hold a grudge against the two no matter where they went. She had experienced it for the first time just after she started her wandering with Ryoga, but was told that it was a common occurrence by her travelling companion.

What _was_ strange, was the cave.

No longer was it simply a cavern, but a huge room, painted grey over the cement it was made out of, and illuminated by fluorescent lighting nearly a hundred feet above them.

Along the wall on the left side of the door, stood a series of glass tubes large enough to fit even Mr Saotome into … had they not already been occupied by tall, white persons with abnormally large hands, heads and eyes, and who lacked genitals. The semi-stitched autopsy wounds on them, the liquid filling the entire inside and their lack of movement said that these persons were not among the living anymore.

Along the next walls were desks and computers, as well as supercomputers and at the immediate right of the door stood a water-cooler.

In the middle of the room, nearly above the two, was a huge metal object that looked like an overturned bowl with a lid, with spikes for support, keeping it several feet above ground, and a ramp extended to the ground from an opening in the side.

The trail of spices led behind the glass tubes, where a pair of chopsticks peeked curiously out.

The sudden change in lighting did its job in waking Ryoga, and as soon as he saw the guns aimed at him and his betrothed, he sprung into action, grabbing Akane with one arm and their things with the other, before dashing through the only open door he could see … the one in the metal bowl at the end of the ramp.

The soldiers followed them, but once they were inside the stationary alien vessel, found no trace of them, which was very conspicuous as the door was the only way in or out. The scientists, however, were fascinated with the new life form they had discovered hiding behind the tanks where they kept the remains of the Roswell alien autopsies. They could not tell merely by looking whether it was alien or mutant, but a series of tests should clear that up …

Ryoga ran with Akane until he found a set of metal bars blocking their path.

Looking around, he found no other exit to the small concrete room they were in, so he kicked the door off its sliding tracks, snapping the lock like it was a toothpick holding back a car on a slope in the process.

The racket caused some attention, mainly from the man already occupying the cell they were in, because it most definitely was a cell.

"_Thank_ you, dear friends!" exclaimed the blue man with a scar under his eye … the orange prison outfit does not go well with that skin, thought Akane idly as she watched the animated man. The man, who introduced himself as Dr Drakken, went further with his thanks, complimenting them on their timing and strength, while proclaiming his innocence and unjust imprisonment.

"No trouble at all," replied Ryoga, sheepishly rubbing his neck, not wanting to let the man know he hadn't planned on freeing him. "It's a Martial Artist's duty to protect the weak and free and innocent."

"Yes," Dr Drakken agreed hesitantly. "I appreciate your help immensely, but could you do me just another _tiny_ favour? You see, my – er … _research assistant_ was captured along with me, and is being held in this very complex, just beyond the wall down that hall … if I helped you find her, could you free her as well? She is as innocent as I am!"

"Sure," muttered Ryoga … what harm could it do to free a couple of unjustly imprisoned people? "Lead the way …"

Dr Drakken grinned and grabbed onto Ryoga's arm, the duo having rearranged their possessions to the rightful owner during Dr Drakken's explanation, and Ryoga in turn hastily grabbed onto Akane to keep from getting lost without her.

The wall in question was a sturdy, twelve feet thick wall of concrete, iron bars and bricks intermingled to make sure that none of the more desperate male prisoners couldn't manage to tunnel their way through to the other side in search of female companionship … it also worked the other way …

Dr Drakken pulled Ryoga and Akane to the wall, and waited, wondering how this would be solved … after all … steel bars were not nearly as difficult to get through as twelve feet of wall with strong, intermingled materials.

Eying the wall cautiously, Ryoga could tell this would not be as easy as he had thought … but not entirely difficult either …

Placing a single finger to the wall, Ryoga employed his famous Breaking Point technique, which caused a large portion of the wall to explode violently in both directions, though mostly away from the trio waiting to get through.

The explosion had done its job, clearing away the metal, concrete and bricks, scattering them all across the women's ward, and partially in the men's ward.

Unsurprisingly, an alarm went off, whether because the dust set off the smoke detectors, or a guard had heard the explosion and triggered it, but the _cause_ wasn't as important as what it would _lead_ to. It would not be long until they had several guards arriving.

Wasting no time gawking at the enormous hole that had been made simply by touching a finger to the mass that had previously made it, Dr Drakken grabbed onto Ryoga again and led him through.

Locating the woman was not difficult, as the explosion had drawn every inmate in both wards to the bars to see what was going on, making identification a fairly simple task.

"There! The green one!" crowed Dr Drakken and pulled his saviours to the cell where a woman with green skin, green hair, green eyes and a hideous, clashing orange prison outfit was watching their approach. "Shego! These nice people have decided to free us from our _wrongful_ and _unjust_ imprisonment!" Dr Drakken filled in, though why he stressed some words was a mystery.

The woman, Shego, who looked like she was normally a glum person, brightened and suddenly looked sad and grateful.

"Oh, _thank you_!" she nearly screamed, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. "I can't begin to describe how awful we've been treated!" a sob interrupted further communication, and Shego buried her face in her sleeve.

"Okay, step back ma'am," stated Ryoga. "This would definitely hurt if you got caught in it …"

Shego released her grip on the bars of the cell, and stepped back and aside, not really sure what the fanged young man was planning on doing.

Ryoga concentrated, and with a mighty shove, the door impacted against the cell wall with a loud clank, jutting out diagonally both horizontally as well as vertically.

"Hey!" screamed a guard from the male side of the wall, raising a shotgun to eye-level, aimed at the four. "Hold it right there!"

Realising that they were once again in danger, Ryoga grabbed the green woman and Akane's hand, and Akane grabbed hold of Dr Drakken, before the eternally lost boy started running away from the armed guard.

Several shots were fired, missing each time with bare margins because of the scattering shots and the distance combined … had it been a rifle, they would have been halted already after the third step, Ryoga realised this, which was the reason why he at the first corner turned, and suddenly vanished with his comrades, leaving several shocked inmates and prison guards who had witnessed the four vanish into thin air.

It was very sudden, but didn't surprise Ryoga very much anyway … they nearly crashed into another wall.

Dr Drakken started looking around in a panic, searching for the crazed guards and their shotguns, only to find an illuminated street in the middle of the night, leading up to a big, red tower which was lit up almost like the decorated tree used in western culture during the celebration of Christmas, and street signs in multiple languages, meant for tourists no doubt, welcoming them to Tokyo Tower.

Despite feeling strange about their sudden and impossible teleportation, Dr Drakken turned on a bright smile for his rescuers.

"Thank you once again, friends!" he proclaimed gratefully. "That fiend Kim Possible and her newest ally, Ranma Koki, will pay for putting me away! Imagine, I was on an innocent business cruise with a few of my employees just outside Tokyo when Kim Possible and her ally dropped in out of nowhere and beat us up and planted some doctored footage of Shego in a bank just to claim their violence was justified."

Shego rolled her eyes … sure, these two were gullible, but they couldn't possible buy that lame excuse, could they?

"Ranma?" asked Akane, surprised at the name … it was very rare for her to come across that name, and when she did, it was usually connected with her currently deceased fiancée.

"Saotome Ranma?" asked Ryoga, getting a hard feeling in his gut.

"No, Koki …" corrected Dr Drakken, and looked around the street, then spotted a news stand not far away … or rather, a shop with a wide selection of papers and magazines displayed in the window. "Here, he's on the cover of Science Monthly … they've nominated him for Scientist of the Year, a rather prestigious award that I've never had the honour of being even nominated for …"

"Not to mention, he's quite the looker," commented Shego and pointed to the cover, showing the person to Akane. "Have a look!"

Both Ryoga and Akane did indeed look, although when Dr Drakken had mentioned Science, they had dismissed the possibility … until they saw Ranma grinning up at them from the cover of the magazine. There was no doubt about it … it was their Ranma, and apparently he wasn't nearly as dead as they had been led to believe … yet …

"RANMA! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" bellowed Ryoga angrily, while Akane seethed, imagining what horrors he was exposing her sisters to at that very moment, wherever they had been taken to by Ranma, while she was not there to protect them … the pervert …

* * *

Back in Jade, Sheila separated from the group to stop by Onoli for some files, then go visit her brother to give him an update on certain things, including the events of last night, as he had wandered off before listening to her debriefing. And given how this morning turned out, there might just be one less bad guy to worry about out there.

She did, however, make sure to inform the others about not taking up the subject of Ranma leaving a shadow clone in bed with them before she returned, because she might have a thing or two to say about the subject, and it would be rather superfluous to bring the topic up several times … besides, it would leave Ranma to think about what he did until they were all there to chastise him.

"Oh, and if he wants to start talking about _weddings_, save it for later because I have a few ideas!" she had added before disappearing around a corner.

Ranma was actually surprised that he had not been physically punished … some might say he was being a masochist, but he had simply been conditioned to expect certain reactions, and was thoroughly confused when that reaction did not take place. He was well aware of that it was not acceptable in normal society to hit someone simply out of displeasure, but personal experience told him otherwise. Although, lately that had not been the case … since he was transformed, he had been treated as a person, not an object … although those women he had rescued in the desert had been very insistent on trying to thank him by physical means, so insistent, in fact, that he had barely been able to retain his virginity.

From the looks of things, he wouldn't get punished for somehow picking up another woman, like he would have when he lived in Nerima. Gods that uncute tomboy was violent …

What bothered Ranma the most at the moment, was Hanza … not the person, though her temper and desperation for a cure was eerily familiar … no, it was the cure she sought …

To be honest with himself, Ranma knew of no real cure for her.

Sure, he could take her to Jusenkyo, but there were a few uncertainties with that plan … firstly, there wasn't a guarantee that the magic of Jusenkyo was compatible with whatever magic that had turned Hanza from man to woman … and certain things that weren't compatible had an unfortunate habit of blowing up in some form, which could have completely random effects in this case, as the energy in question was magic. Secondly, Jusenkyo was, to his knowledge, still flooded, so the springs had either mixed or been filled by debris, wiping them from existence, but then, he was far from an expert on the subject of Jusenkyo ...

Sure, there was the possibility of the Instant stuff, but it was an even more temporary solution than the Jusenkyo curse, as it only gave a curse that lasted a few showers or hours, depending on which came first.

And even if there was a possibility of locking the cursed form - be it the form of the real curse or the powdered stuff - with the locking ladle, the Musk were not likely to be cooperative with him, considering he had defeated their Prince, who happened to turn into a Princess some times because of the same curse Ranma once had.

Though, Ranma was certain that had his mother been there, she would have told Hanza to accept the new body, saying it was useless worrying herself into an early grave over a cure that might not exist. He could hear her now … " Accept your body, embrace the change, find a man and pop out a few babies … I'm sure _Ranma_ would be able to help … "

"Auntie!" hissed Beebee, making Ranma turn around to see the human robot hissing into what looked like a cell phone.

The women surrounding Ranma blushed … whether from embarrassment or anger, Ranma didn't really want to know.

"Mom?" asked Ranma, indicating the phone, which had for a moment accidentally been put on speaker, thus allowing the suggestion to be heard. Beebee nodded guiltily and handed the fist-sized, unfolded cell phone. "Mom, how did you get a hold of Beebee all the way from Japan?"

" Oh, she gave me a cell phone just like hers before you all left, so we could stay in touch … she's been very helpful with keeping me abreast of your little trip … " replied the voice of Nodoka.

"But how did you get a connection?" prodded Ranma. "We're in a different _realm_! There aren't even any satellites here to bounce the signal off of if you had been here!"

"Um …" stuttered Beebee. "I modified the phone, using some basic Light Gate technology … it should be able to reach us anywhere in the known universe … and the other away around as well …"

" Don't worry about it, dear, " came Nodoka's voice from the speaker of the cell phone. " You were only doing a good deed … I'm sure Ranma appreciates it very much, _right_, _son_? "

"Sure!" assured Ranma quickly. That woman was scary with that sharp edge to her voice even through a phone and a dimension wall … "But we have to cut this short, the battle is about to begin! Tell Nabiki and Kasumi I said "Hi"! Bye!"

Pressing the disconnect button before he could hear the response to his abrupt farewell, Ranma handed the cell phone back to Beebee, who put it away in hyperspace storage, suddenly much happier.

Ranma and his "Harem", as Gina had jokingly dubbed them while standing in line for tickets, had not gotten good seats at all.

The name for the group of women seemed to stick, because it was how Beebee kept referring to them as, and none of the others bothered to argue that statement, as it was more or less true … or, it would be when they managed to persuade Ranma into "tying the knot" with them all.

Julia had only been given three tickets, which had been given to her two newest students and her husband, leaving the others to get seats on their own at the last minute, which limited the choice very much, even if the price remained steep … "Supply and demand, kid," the grumpy ticket salesman had groused in reply to their query of the amount of gold needed to get the seats. There had almost been a free seat on Julia's tickets, but Luan had hobbled into the Arena, weak, injured, healing slowly, and leaning on anything that would support her weight, so she still got the seat.

Looking down at the battlefield, Ranma could make out a small figure with red hair sauntering onto the field from one end, and a large form with white pants from the other end.

Binoculars or even a spyglass had been a good thing at this time, because they were far enough away to barely make out anything down there, as the vague descriptions of the figures could reveal.

Beebee, however, came up with the solution … she was not exactly human, and as such was able to zoom her line of vision further, enlarging the image … hooking her up to a laptop computer was a cinch with Brianna and Gina around, and soon Ranma, Brianna, Gina and Lydia were staring at the monitor of the laptop, while Beebee acted as the camera … a camera with a much faster frame rate than the peebos Brianna normally made. Sure, with the digital zoom and the bright flames surrounding the platform of the Fire Arena, the image became a little grainy and over exposed, but it was not something the combined genius of Gina and Brianna could not smooth out on the spot. And to top it off, she could also act as a directional microphone, catching whatever sounds made down on the platform, enabling them to hear whatever banter that might be exchanged.

Now they had a better view of things, and were able to tell what Julia's opponent looked like.

The man was tall, and dark, with broad muscles and curly black hair. Circling his wrists and biceps, as well as crossing diagonally his chest from his right hip to his left shoulder and down the other side, were a series of symbols or tattoos in silver colour, though it was not clear if it was silver or not. If Ranma hadn't known better, he'd say the designs looked a little like computer circuitry, but that couldn't be it … after all, these people abhorred technology enough to sentence someone to prison for being in possession of anything more recent than what was found in fifteenth century Europe …

He wore no shoes, leaving his feet bare and in direct contact with the ground. His legs were covered by white pants, held up by a broad, white sash, which was decorated with gold rings here and there. Covering his head, was a white cloth that concealed the upper half of his face to his hairline, and ran around back, where it flowed down like long hair. A golden trinket decorated the forehead of this veil, and a golden loop was stuck in the side.

His name was Rhaoton.

Rhaoton's weapon of choice seemed to be the naginata, the bladed staff. It was a grand weapon, with a shining blade that had several white feathers attached to the bottom, for either decoration or ceremonial reasons. Each end of the wooden pole was capped with gold.

Julia's stance and walk was that of confidence … Ranma thought it seemed rude to act that way towards an opponent in a tournament, and apparently Rhaoton agreed with Ranma in his opinion, because the big man crossed the platform and slapped Julia before she had the time to react properly out of shock or surprise.

"How dare you …" Rhaoton growled in a voice that dripped of venom, and sounded like it could frighten more than a few demons with its darkness. "How _dare_ you step into this arena with your stance slackened and your eyes _unfocused_? Against _me_? Just _who_ do you think I _am_, Julia? _Who_ do you think you are facing? I am one of the _ten_, Julia! You do _not_ face me as though I was just another fighter! _Do not think that winning the **last** Tournament of Arms has made you **special**_."

Ranma couldn't really help but agree with the dark man, though he had to physically restrain Gina from leaping from her seat to get down there to open a whole _crate_ of whoop-ass on the mean man who hit her mommy.

"Now, get up!" demanded the man sternly. "And prepare to face someone who is, indeed, _in your class_!"

Julia, sitting on the ground from the force of the blow, a large, angry bruise on her right cheek, looked up at her opponent, humbled back to her senses.

"You're right," admitted Julia. "I _deserved_ that little "reminder" …"

Standing up, Julia straightened her stance, and raised her sword.

"En guarde."

Rhaoton crouched down in a ready stance of his own, twirling his naginata into starting position.

There was a moment of tense silence, where hardly a speck of dirt in the arena moved, where hardly a single person dared breathe for fear of ruining the moment.

Then as a bubble in the lava popped, the two flew at each other faster than the average person could follow.

Julia's strike at Rhaoton's legs was blocked by the naginata, and Julia in turn had to raise her sword to block an overhead blow.

Rhaoton's disposition remained the same, like a statue, not showing any emotion on him at all, despite the severity of the battle. Not even distress or strain showed as he effortlessly wielded his naginata to block and retaliate Julia's attacks.

As Julia moved to block a low swipe of the naginata blade with her own, she suddenly saw Rhaoton's free hand come down for her own. It was a feint, but it was too late to do anything about it, and the hand struck the unguarded part of her wrist, causing her to nearly drop her sword.

She recovered in time to raise her other arm to block the follow-up fist by the same hand, but the strength of the blow was enough to set her off balance.

"Check," commented Rhaoton casually.

Julia dropped backwards into a roll as the naginata swung at her.

Pushing with her arms, she managed to leap over a follow-up sweep of the fearsome blade.

As Julia landed, she felt hot air against her heel. Looking down, she saw that she was at the very edge of the arena … fiery lava running no more than a few feet below her.

"Checkmate," declared Rhaoton, seeing she had realised that she had played into his plan.

Ranma had to admit, the plan was brilliant … distract the opponent with strikes and attacks to them, while gently guiding them into the position that was the most favourable … there was little that could be done in this situation, and Ranma would be lying if he said he wouldn't be disappointed if Julia lost … he had money riding on her victory, and could just feel Thropan getting ready to tinker with his car, as was part of the bet … Ranma had little Jade currency, so he had, during the wait in line, bet his car against a hundred gold pieces that Julia would win … the only person willing to even touch such technology was the werepanther Edge Guard. Damn it, he had spent a lot of time making that car, and he was on the verge of losing it! Though, knowing the Diggers women as he did, he wouldn't count the elder one out just yet …

"Not yet," argued Julia stubbornly, meeting Rhaoton's eyes, or rather, where his eyes were supposed to be. "There are still "moves" I can make …"

"So be it …" growled Rhaoton.

In a desperation move, Julia used a Master Technique, rushing at Rhaoton and used all her strength to push against the block the man erected the moment before she moved.

"Aegis Crash!" yelled the big man as the woman tried to push him off.

The two energies of the chi attacks flashed brightly, tearing up the ground, and forcing the two apart, though, since Julia's attack was not focused as much _outside_ her body, Rhaoton won the battle of wills, and was forced far less away than Julia, who was sent careening away, surprisingly still on her feet.

At the very edge of the platform, Julia skid to a stop, but with a smirk on her face, even as Rhaoton proclaimed another checkmate. Ranma wondered why until he remembered something about the fight … Rhaoton had fought the entire thing relying on his aura to focus his attacks, and move as swiftly and powerfully as he had been … the man was not primarily a physical fighter, but relied more on his techniques and chi-enhancements than skills … he was a chi user.

"Yes …" agreed Julia confidently. "Checkmate, indeed …"

The next moment, Julia had vanished from her spot, leaping into the air at great speeds with a very easily spotted opening in her attack, which was going to be overhead chop with her blade.

"Fool!" cried Rhaoton angrily. "Aegis Storm!"

The form of Julia was suddenly bathed in a broad beam of purple energy that had been discharged from the bladed staff and its wielder.

Before the large man could register any change in this, Julia appeared next to him, coming in for a landing.

Without warning, his mask ripped apart where Julia's blade had cut, revealing a shocked face.

-Pnk!-

The gold trinket on Rhaoton's forehead split in two, causing the head dress to fall apart.

Without breaking her stride, Julia sheathed the sword with a flourish and walked away from the stiff man.

"A battle _well_ and _truly_ fought, Rhaoton," Julia announced. "You have my utmost respect for your skills. I understand now, why my flippant and nonchalant attitude towards them earlier _enraged_ you so …"

"Julia-" growled Rhaoton, causing Julia to stop and curiously turn her head to see what was going on.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her tightly, and her feet lifted off the ground.

"_Julia_, _you are a marvel_!" laughed Rhaoton in a booming and happy voice. "_**A marvel**_!" he repeated as he lifted the woman into the air and looked on the verge of twirling her and throwing her into the air like a father playing with his toddler.

After Julia came past her shock, embarrassment took over.

"Could you set me down now, please?" she asked in a nervous laugh.

"_Of course_!" laughed Rhaoton thunderously, and set the woman on the ground, raising his own fist into the air and lifting Julia's with his other. "_**All hail Julia**_! _**The victor**_!"

Ranma was amazed at how good a sport Rhaoton was, not only accepting defeat, but rejoicing in his opponent's victory … it was the mark of a good fighter, as being one didn't necessarily mean having a plethora of techniques or an abundance of power, but having the heart to carry on or support those deserving it despite ones own shortcomings. It wasn't the win that determined the quality of a fighter, but how they carried themselves throughout and after the battle … _this_ was what Ranma loved about fighting …

Now, Ranma was looking forward to the chance he'd maybe get to fight Julia some time in the future … it would be so much fun, even if he ended up bruised, battered and defeated at the end … but for now, he had a bet to collect on, and some techniques to make notes on …

* * *

At Narita International Airport, an ancient pervert stepped off a flight that had apparently been primarily occupied by beautiful and well endowed women.

If he had the will, the old man would no doubt have declared to the world _exactly_ how _well endowed_ those women were, but a glance at them had him cringe in disgusted fear, so there was no danger of him informing the numerous drooling men around about the women they were staring at.

The old man passed through customs without much of an ordeal … though the hump on the man's back did look suspicious … almost like a backpack containing a ball …

Once through all the security, the old man walked up to the information desk, and politely asked the woman behind it if she would call a taxi for him.

Anyone who knew this old man would have been bowled over in shock … this old man usually would have molested or violated every woman in the airport in some way, be it groping and commenting on their body, or liberating them of their underwear … but now, he looked nearly fearful as he spoke with her … cringing as a slightly perverted idea popped into his head, almost as though he expected to be struck down for his wicked thoughts … a rather Pavlovian reaction, actually.

When he was assured of his taxi, the old man thanked the woman, and went outside to find the taxi that would be waiting for him.

Patiently, the old man stood in front of the entrance to the airport, twiddling his fingers to keep himself occupied.

"Yo," called a young man in a normal, fairly new, yellow car with the word Taxi written in red on the side. "'You Happosai?"

"Yes, sonny boy, that would be me," chuckled the old man.

"Where's your stuff?"

"I didn't have time to bring any luggage with me when I left," chuckled Happosai with a sense of self-irony. "And there was nothing at my destination that I thought was worth keeping …"

"Then get in, the metre is running!" warned the driver.

Happosai nodded and entered the taxi, getting really comfortable in the back seat, despite the hump on his back, and the slight limp he had in his walk.

"So, where to?"

"Take me to the Nerima ward, 'm boy," chirped Happosai. Then his voice turned serious. "I have some _unfinished business_ to take care of there …"

* * *

Author's Notes; Hah! You thought I'd get on that "Call him a cab" gag, right? But I didn't, because it is worn out, overused and frankly, not all that amusing any more …

What _does_ a typical Tokyo taxi look like? Could anyone tell me? Because it would help make the story more credible … the same goes for anything else I might have been mistaken about, feel free to correct me if the errors are glaringly obvious, and please give me some reference sites or something, because I recently had to format the drive, and lost all of my old ones … reference sites, that is …

I know I wrote that Rhaoton and Julia used chi, there's no need in pointing that out to me. The reason for it, was that it is my interpretation that the characters of Gold Digger use their ki more as a focusing lens for power than as a source, like a magnifying glass used to burn ants … understand? The Ethereal Stream is merely a different source of chi, which a mage draws on using their ki to draw and focus, instead of using their energies for their purpose, which is what throws most GD people off about Ranma's way of doing techniques and "magic" … if this is not an adequate explanation, I don't know how else to formulate myself to make myself understood …

My brother pulled through in the end … he came and formatted the drive, a painstakingly long process, made longer by the installation of all programs again … luckily, none of the other drives were affected in any serious way, so my text files were left untouched, meaning I didn't need to fall back on the backup DVDs I made as soon as I discovered the virus that so annoyed me for nearly two weeks …

Small writing tip; "Sole" and "Soul". Your "Soul" is the part of you that consists of your mind, character, thoughts and feelings. Many people believe that your soul continues existing after your body is dead. You can refer to someone as a particular kind of "Soul" when you are describing their character and condition. You use "Soul" in negative statements like "not a soul" to mean nobody at all. The "Sole" thing or person of a particular type is the only one of that type, if you have "Sole" charge or ownership of something, you are the only person in charge of it or who owns it. The "Sole" of your foot or of a shoe or sock is the underneath surface of it

Second writing tip; supplied by Dobe-Teme "Thought", "Taut" and "Taught". "Thought" is the past tense and past participle of "Think". A "Thought" is an idea that you have in your mind. "Taught" is the past tense and past participle of "Teach". Something that is "Taut" is stretched very tight, if someone has a "Taut" expression, they look very worried and tense.


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

Kuno Tatewaki was incensed … there was no other word for it. 

Immediately after finding that the Pigtailed girl was alive and well, and still under the spell of the vile sorcerer Saotome, Kuno went in search of someone who could undo the man's evil influence from the grave.

He had found a mystic in Fukushima, and gave the old man a description of his exploits concerning Saotome, and the details of the curse that was held over the tree-borne-kettle-girl. The old man had been patient, and listened to the entire tale, boasting and accusations included.

When he had finished his tale, Kuno had waited for the man to respond.

"I am afraid I cannot help you, young one," the old man had told him. "The magic at work sounds … beyond my scope of abilities. However, do not despair, I know someone who might be able to …"

Kuno had been referred to a Hindu Mystic in Jaipur, who had repeated the first's actions, and referred him to a mystic who mostly wandered around Ayers Rock, and had done so for decades.

The Aborigine Mystic had done as the previous two, and referred him to a shaman in the "Heart of Darkness" … Africa.

This process had been repeated several more times, but they all blurred together, and Kuno bounced all over the world until he was referred to the world's leading expert in the world of the supernatural … Dr Theodore Diggers.

Weary of travel, and appalled at the sheer number of apparent amateurs there existed in the field of magic, Kuno had travelled to Atlanta, and immediately sought out the mansion of Dr Theodore Diggers, only to find it empty … the neighbours had informed him that Dr Diggers and his family had taken a few friends with them on a vacation to visit his in-laws, and in it was uncertain how long they would be gone.

That was the reason he was currently in the nearest four star hotel.

He did not know of anyone better than the best in this field of study, so he intended to remain there until Dr Diggers returned … however long it took.

While the clerk behind the check-in counter was processing all the information Kuno had left with him, including forms for payment, his passport and other essential information, he was perusing through the kiosk connected to the hotel.

There was little of interest in the kiosk … nothing on poesy, sword-fighting or demon slaying … and the most lethal item they carried was a sandwich with eggs, cheese and ham.

However, as he looked through their selection of magazines, he saw a sight that made bile rise in his throat.

There, grinning up at him from the cover of _Tomorrow's Science Today_, a monthly magazine which there was no need in wondering about the content of, was the foul demon, Saotome, but the honourless cad had changed his name, it was no longer Saotome … he was going by the obviously fictitious name of Koki! Spirit Child, _indeed_! The name was obviously meant to lure people into a false sense of security before he struck.

Somehow, he seemed to have gotten major industries under his spell as well, and had clearly taken the credit for someone else's invention.

"Curse you, Saotome!" screamed Kuno in holy fury, not about to let his ire at the unholy acts fester within. "For this offence, I shall once more _slay you_, and assure the public that your foul presence shall be no more!"

"Er, sir … could you keep it down, please?" asked the woman behind the counter of the kiosk. "You're making a scene, and scaring away our other customers."

"Verily, the foul Saotome's influence has spread this far, even enslaving staff at a hotel kiosk!" concluded Kuno in a more sedate tone, but still loud enough to be disturbing, and waving his bokken to awe the crowd. "Fear not, fair maiden, for I, Kuno Tatewaki, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, and Holy Crusader for the Pigtailed Girl, shall slay the demon Saotome that holds your will in his pocket, and release you from it!"

"Is there a problem here?"

Turning to the street door, the remaining patrons of the kiosk saw a police constable, fairly normal, apart from the handle-bar moustache and sunglasses that made him look like he belonged in a disco band, doing carefully choreographed arm movements to the lyrics along with a Native American, a construction worker and a motorcyclist.

"Verily!" declared Kuno. "The foul Saotome, enslaver of beautiful women, has gone too far and must be destroyed!"

"Pipe down, kid, or I'll have to run you in for disturbing the peace!" barked the policeman, grabbing hold of his radio with one hand and unfastening the latch holding on to his nightstick.

"Saotome!" bellowed Kuno angrily at the ceiling. "You've sunk as low as to corrupt even the law enforcement officers! Curse you!"

"Hey!" interrupted the policeman. "Are you accusing me of _bribery_?"

"I am not doing any such thing!" denied Kuno. "I am merely pointing out your enslavement of a corrupt being that must be brought down!"

"Okay, that's it! _No one threatens to kill my President_! Get down on the ground before I have to use force, you are under arrest!" bellowed the police constable, now equally loud and angry. "Harry, I need backup … there's a terrorist in the hotel kiosk, and he's confessed to it already!" he yelled into his radio.

" Roger, Stan … radioing for backup … _over_ … " responded the person on the other end.

"Harry, this is not the time to take up _that_ subject!"

" You're _supposed_ to end each transmission with an "over" … _over_ … "

"Not now!" barked constable Stan, before sighing and adding a reluctant "… over …"

" Was that so difficult? … over … "

"Will you just _get to it_?" snapped Stan.

" You forgot to finish with "over" … over … "

"Just call for backup and get in here! This kid's resisting arrest! …_over_ …"

This scene had several of the locals rolling their eyes, as they had known about this quarrel for some time, but it certainly didn't make a good impression on the visitors, and only made Kuno even more certain that the foul Saotome had corrupted them into mental infancy to gain control over them … and the way the law enforcer had phrased it, he had even taken over the American government without it being announced on TV or any other media … the demon had certainly become more nefarious after his banishment, and the roots of his evil had reached deeper than he had first assumed … there was only one non-magical way Kuno knew to snap any person from a trance, and that was to beat them out of it!

-Whack!-

The sound and sight of a strong wooden implement striking against the side of constable Stan's head caused everyone in the kiosk to gasp in shock and fear … if this insane person would strike at the _police_, what chances would they have to avoid a similar fate?

-Ding!-

Entering the kiosk from the street, gun drawn in response to the call about a terrorist resisting arrest, was Stan's partner, Harry.

Seeing his partner sprawled over a dais which had been covered in bargain books until Stan had crashed over them, Harry directed the gun at Kuno.

"Freeze!" bellowed the constable, and imitated his partner in reaching for his radio. "Constable down! Repeat! _Constable down_! Send SWAT and an ambulance, _now_! Over!"

Kuno watched the spectacle the young policeman was making of himself with a disinterested gaze …truly, Saotome's spell must have been more harmful than beneficial to his minions if this man was an example of it.

"Drop the stick, and get down on the ground, hands behind your head!" commanded constable Harry, looking like he was just waiting for an excuse to discharge his weapon without getting chewed out by the Chief and Internal Affairs.

"Fool," replied Kuno. "I am merely administering a cure to your accursed weak mentality!"

"_Drop your weapon_, **sir**, _and get down on the ground with your hands behind your head_!" repeated Harry, making it clear that this was his final warning.

By now, hotel security had also arrived upon hearing the commotion in the kiosk, and though they were practically unarmed, they too carried nightsticks and several cans of pepper spray.

Twenty minutes later, several ambulances, but thankfully no coroners, followed by numerous vans with satellite dishes on the roof and logos for various media distributors on the side, pulled out from the hotel, carrying the thirty persons that were injured in the violent apprehension of the man who would from then on be known as the Mad Samurai Terrorist, who attacked policemen and hotel security in what he claimed to be a holy quest, though he was not a member of any religious fanatic group … or at least no one claimed responsibility for him.

Kuno himself was not-so-little drugged, which was probably a good thing, because it kept him from feeling the pain of the numerous bullet holes in his arms and legs … actually, he had lost most feeling in general, and was drooling liberally onto the stretcher he was secured to with three times the number of straps they use on normal people.

* * *

After the battles had finished for the day, Julia and her entourage assembled outside the Fire Arena to bid farewell to Rhaoton. 

The warrior was now clad in a travelling cloak over his clothes, and was facing a slowly setting sun, towards which his road led. Behind him, Julia was waving him off. She had wanted him to stay as support for her showdown against G'Nolga, but Rhaoton could not.

Ranma was sad to see the man off, not because he had gotten to know him at all, but because he was a good opponent to measure his skill against … he still had Karia and Julia, though … speaking of which …

"Ranma!"

The group turned to the voice and found Weapons-Master Karia approaching them, dragging along her own group, consisting of several old persons of varying gender and species. One of these looked familiar to Ranma, but he couldn't place him … Julia, however, did.

"I thought we could have the battle now, if you're not busy?" continued Karia, smirking knowingly at the fuming women backing Ranma up silently.

"We were supposed to get supper, but …" Ranma answered, looking to his sensei for any indication that he should decline.

Dr Diggers was frowning … not in anger, but in thought and suspicion. After a brief moment, the old man nodded.

"… supper can wait, I guess," finished Ranma.

"Great!" exclaimed Karia and snatched Ranma's arm. "Follow me, then!"

With no option but to comply, Ranma was pulled along through the entrance to the Fire Arena platform, while Karia's group directed Ranma's group to the stands, where a few stragglers from the last battle were on their way out, stopping this when they saw two persons enter the arena, one of them being a Weapons-Master, and the other a black-furred werecat.

Unscheduled fights were not too uncommon, but not all of them took place within an arena, where fighting belongs … but the stragglers sat back down, deciding that they'd rather get more value out of their money by watching what promised to be a _great_ fight for free. Unfortunately, the ticket salespersons had gone home for the day when there were no more scheduled fights, and had planned on celebrating their profits for the day with co-workers, family and friends, and had thus missed the opportunity to earn money on this fight.

Once in the centre of the platform, Karia stopped and waited for her small crowd to find their seats.

"So, how are we going to do thi- WHOA!"

Ranma had to bend over backwards to avoid the rapid, and rudely unannounced, punch at his chest.

Planting his hands on the ground, Ranma flipped further back as well as into the air as Karia recovered from the missed punch and landed lightly on the ground, arms crossed across his chest just in time to block an incoming straight kick, sending him skidding a few feet while remaining erect, leaving a pair of tracks in the ground.

Seeing that her kick was ineffective, Karia dropped to the ground and rolled towards him in a ball.

When she was close enough, she shot her arms out to the ground and drove her feet for his chin, hoping Ranma would think she would have gone for his feet instead and not block her intended target.

Having seen the tensing of her arms, Ranma knew she was not going to sweep or kick his feet, as she would not need to balance on her arms as strongly to do that … so rather than attempting to block the kick, Ranma leapt over the Weapons-Master just as she was straightening out for the kick.

The sudden lack of an opponent did nothing to slow Karia down, as she, too, flipped into the air, chasing her elusive target.

In the air, Ranma dodged impossibly as Karia shot through the air where he had been, and landed in a roll to put some distance between him and the dark elf to better prepare himself for the battle.

Ranma was not the only one to take advantage of the elbow room, as Karia proved by pulling out a short sword from behind her back. As he had not seen it previously, Ranma started wondering whether or not she had concealed it, or if she had somehow summoned it to her with a gesture behind her back … a gesture that she did not want him to see.

While Ranma was pondering this, Karia took advantage of his distraction, and rushed in.

It was only a honed instinct made from fighting Kuno that saved Ranma from a rapid series of slashes, jabs and gouges, as he ducked, jumped and weaved through the attacks … unfortunately, Karia was better than Kuno ever was, so he was not avoiding the sword with any ease, and she was not giving him a chance to retaliate or counter her attacks. It was a good thing he was in hybrid form, or he wouldn't have been fast enough to avoid the sharp weapon, as painfully as he'd ever admit it.

But that didn't mean he was giving up.

Sooner or later, she'd need a moment to catch her breath, and when that moment came, he'd step things up a little.

Being a Weapons-Master did not mean, unfortunately, that one had unlimited stamina, something Karia was reminded of at the end of her series when she was starting to sweat and pant heavily, cursing herself for not having Ranma change forms before entering the Arena … she could technically call off the match for cheating since Ranma was in hybrid form, but she had dragged him in there in that form, and started the fight while he was in that form, so it would be childish to call off the match because of a battle condition she was partially to blame for.

At the end of her series, Karia jumped back to get some warning in case she was attacked while she was catching her second wind.

On his side of the platform, Ranma decided it was time to even the odds a little, and pulled out his sword in a similar manner to the way Karia had drawn her sword … only her sword had a visible blade when it was revealed.

-click!-

-sshummmmm!-

Ranma activated the sword on its lowest setting, making it dull, but still capable of leaving a sting where it scored a hit.

It wouldn't be very polite to break Karia's nice sword by cutting through it like a hot knife through butter … this wasn't a battle to see who was the toughest, it was to see which was more skilled, and brute force proved nothing.

The comparison made Ranma remember his fights with Ryoga. Those were prime examples on how skill and grace could overcome brute strength and rage any time … of course, there were a few times when Ryoga nearly won, but not for long.

The dull glow of the object in Ranma's hand caused Karia to pause briefly.

Was this magic?

Of course not, every Arena in Jade cut off the connection to the Ethereal Stream, meaning all magic and magical effects were nullified within the Arena, this included performing magic, shifting forms, or any effects or functions of a magical artefact.

That meant it could only be _technology_ … the word was nearly taboo in Jade, and anything more evolved than basic clockwork was practically punishable by instant imprisonment without trial. Of course, a few people were lenient where this kind of infraction took place, so some advancements came about regardless, but the inventors were always found in the end, and most were punished in some way, if only by being ostracised by some for performing some illegal acts, and many of them ended up performing graver crimes, for which they would be thoroughly punished.

It was only after he had activated the sword that Ranma realised that he had just done what could be interpreted as the equivalent of using profane language and spitting in church.

After all, the Arenas were erected because of the Shadows, and the people were enslaved by them, and made to build their machines and Arenas. And the Shadows used technology to keep Jade under their thumbs. Now, the Arenas were more or less holy places for anti-technology, and he had violated the one he was in by using technology for a battle.

"Ranma," Karia called to him, breaking him from his internal string of insults to himself. "Did you craft that weapon _yourself_?"

"Yes," replied Ranma, knowing he was only dooming himself by admitting it.

"Good," Karia surprised Ranma with her approving tone, though her look told him they would have words over this later. "Or else I would have had to disqualify you from this battle."

Regardless of the offence Ranma had done to the Jade culture, Karia dashed in, and the battle was once more going on.

Mithril clashed against solidified energy repeatedly as the two fighters exchanged blows, swipes, jabs and stabs.

Ranma was at a disadvantage in some ways, and not in others.

Because of his father, he had not learned more than the crude basics of any weapon, and this was only so he'd know what to look for when he faced against a weapon user. So in that regard, Ranma was at a disadvantage, because Karia was no amateur with a sword.

However, Ranma's natural talent for picking up new talents, combined with his speed and agility, allowed him to learn sword moves as he fought, which he proved by using what he learned.

Karia started getting frustrated.

She had initially dominated this fight, much like she had the last time they fought, in _her_ opinion, and was certain that she had trained hard enough to overcome her embarrassment at being not only tied with an unknown werecat from Earth realm, but also having her gym destroyed along with most of her clothing at the end of their last fight.

When they first clashed swords in this battle, Ranma seemed uncertain about how to wield it … oh, there were some traces of the basics in his tactics, so Karia didn't really worry until he started using his werecat speed to keep up with her, and then he started picking up on her moves, attacks, stances and defences … as though she was _teaching_ him instead of _fighting_ him.

Growling as she realised that she was getting nowhere fast, Karia leapt back from her opponent, and started charging up a Master Technique.

The moment Ranma sensed her leaping back, he knew she was up to something, and his suspicions were confirmed as he saw and felt tensing of muscles, and charging energies similar to G'Nolga the night before when she used what Luan had named a Master Technique.

The only way Ranma saw of countering an unknown attack, was to not be where it would hit, so he made this happen by jumping high into the air, towards the very edge of the platform, hoping that Karia had enough sense not to come charging at him full speed when there was a chance of her taking one step too many and ending up extremely crispy all over in a matter of seconds, a sensation no one would be alive to feel, thankfully.

* * *

Up in the stands, Julia turned to the old man that had been among those Karia had brought. 

"Dad," she started. "Is this battle what I think it is?"

The old man looked at Julia, and though no sound passed his lips, he managed to explain the situation to his daughter.

"I see," replied Julia to the unheard explanation. "Ranma will not be happy. He finds people deciding his future for him to be … annoying. I would be lying if I said this would not be a betrayal of his trust, deciding his future without consulting him about it."

The old man frowned sternly.

"I know, dad, but he will still get angry, mark my words."

* * *

On the platform, the battle went on without the combatants paying any attention to their audience. 

Not liking the heat of the lava so close to his fur, Ranma eventually had to leap away again.

As he landed, Karia came charging in with a straight kick at his chest … but she hit only air as Ranma dropped to the ground the instant his feet touched the ground.

Using the missed attack to his advantage, Ranma shot his hand for the distended leg, while using his right foot to strike at Karia's supporting knee.

Karia saw the hand going for her foot, and in her attempt to get it away before it grabbed her, so she missed the foot going for her legs until it struck her behind her knee, causing her to lose her balance, and fall plat on her back, rather undignified, and dropping her sword.

As soon as she realised what Ranma had done, Karia made to get up, only to feel cold, sharp metal against one side of her throat, and tingly energy against the other.

Looking up, she saw Ranma standing above her head, with his sword in one hand, her sword in the other, both crossed in a scissor-like form against her neck, there was no possible move for her to make without severely injuring herself, or killing herself … had he been standing the other way, above her chest, she had a chance, but he had apparently thought of that possibility.

"Checkmate," announced Ranma, breathing heavily. This fight was worse than that time he had to fight the two male Kunos, Happosai, Mousse and Ryoga at once … when he had nearly perfected his Heaven Blast of the Dragon.

"Agreed," admitted Karia carefully, lest she cut herself on her own sword. "I surrender."

Pulling away the swords, dropping Karia's and stowing away his own, Ranma extended a hand to assist her back to her feet, weary of any attempt at deception.

Karia accepted the hand, but was not as underhanded as Ranma suspected her to be.

In a similar move to Rhaoton, Karia raised Ranma's arm into the air and loudly declared him the winner.

It was only at that time that they allowed themselves to notice the audience, who had started cheering for Ranma the moment he had declared his own victory.

The group Karia had brought with her gathered away from the others and had a quick debate about something before leaving to meet with Karia outside.

* * *

In Middleton, Kim Possible was in Hell. 

Well … that was a slight exaggeration … yet eerily close on some counts.

She was trapped with a roomful of cheerleaders, nothing unusual about that, true, but it was unusual that they had dropped practice in favour of gossiping.

This was not as _strange_, as most cheerleaders had the _gift_ of gab. It was the subject of the gossip that had Kim rubbed the wrong way.

Ranma Koki.

Ever since she had been returned home by the scientist martial artist, Bonnie and her followers had been hounding her for details about him … if he looked as good in person as in the magazine articles, what kind of car he drove, where he lived, what his favourite dish was, if he had gotten anywhere with her, was he a good kisser, did he act snobbish because of the millions he made, or if he acted like a nerd.

The list went on and on, and because she knew him and had met him in person, there was no escape from the boy-crazed cheerleaders, because they left messages with her family whenever she was not reachable in person. The moment she logged onto her computer, she was bombarded with questions on her e-mail account, and strangely enough, when she marked one sender as unwanted, they would find another way to send her messages … they had numbered as many a two hundred in the few days since she had unintentionally revealed who had dropped her off after her last mission.

"Will you just _shut up_?" asked Kim, quite annoyed. "We still have cheer practice to do, you know."

No such luck … the girls were arguing about who would marry Ranma and have access to his fortune, and exactly how they would go about doing it, while shooting down the ideas of the others around them with similar poor logic to their own plans.

Thankfully, four musical notes from her Kimmunicator saved her from the torture of having to sit this event through to the end.

"Sorry, got to go!" she called as she made her way out of the gym.

Once in the hall, she pressed herself against the wall and took out the still beeping multi-task communications device.

"Unbelievably good timing, Wade!" she sighed in relief. "So, what's the sitch?"

"You're not going to like this, Kim," warned Wade. "I'm streaming you the security tape of the Maximum security prison where most of our '_regulars_' end up, taken this morning."

Kim watched as the boring surveillance tape went suddenly dramatic as the bars of a cell went flying with great force. The bars embedded themselves in the wall across from it, and something went on in the cell that wasn't seen or heard because of the angle and lack of audio recording on the camera. All that was seen were dim shadows on the floor emanating from the cell … there were three of them.

Suddenly, a very familiar face appeared from the cell … Dr Drakken … and he was dragging along two people in their late teens, Asian by the look of them.

But how had the two extra persons ended up in Dr Drakken's cell?

As far as she knew, the man had his own cell because he was so insufferable that those inmates that had shared a cell with him had complained about human rights violations based on his incessant ranting and maniacal scheming.

And the two extras were carrying backpacks and sleeping bags as well, suggesting that they had not been present in the prison as inmates at all, but rather somehow gained access to the cell through unknown means, and were not entirely aware of where they had ended up.

But they didn't charge towards the camera, which was the only direction with any doors leading out of the ward, no, they headed for the wall at the far end of the corridor, where there wasn't even a window.

To Kim's immense surprise, the unknown male placed a single finger on the wall, and the camera suddenly stopped broadcasting, showing nothing but static.

"That's all there is," Wade added and cut into the image. "The camera was destroyed by an explosion that blew a hole through the wall, which is a remarkable feat, considering it's about as thick as a compact car is long."

"Did you get an ID on the two others?" asked Kim. "If they used explosives, why was the camera destroyed before they could set them up?"

"According to the investigators of the ironic crime scene found no traces of explosives … not even charring or gun powder residue. It was as if the wall spontaneously exploded through to the female side of the prison.

"Both Dr Drakken and Shego are on the loose as we speak.

"I managed to identify the two strangers, though," added Wade seriously. "They have a history with Ranma … the girl, Akane Tendo, was Ranma's fiancée, though there has been some debate about who had the right to that title-"

"I've heard about Ranma's romantic problems, Wade, continue, please," interrupted Kim. The retelling of the fiancée problems Ranma used to have could take more time than she was willing to sacrifice now that Dr Drakken was freed.

"Anyway, the boy is Ryoga Hibiki," continued Wade. "He has no real _history_ with Ranma, apart from attending the same school at some point … he apparently had some kind of grudge against Ranma from that time, and has been reported seen all over the world at some point or another, proclaiming how he would kill Ranma for '_making me see Hell_' or something like that."

"So, why were they freeing Drakken?"

"That's where it gets fuzzy. No one knows … they were sighted earlier that morning, seconds before ending up in Drakken's cell, actually, in Area 51."

"How?"

"The only viable explanation would be some kind of random teleportation device that sends them to wherever as soon as they get out of someone's sight. They were seen running into a UFO with only one exit and entrance, but no trace was found of them there, then they suddenly ended up in Drakken's cell."

"Ranma did mention one of his former rivals having a lousy sense of direction, but this isn't even _close_ …" muttered Kim.

"So how do you plan on catching Drakken and Shego this time?"

"Same as last time, Wade … with the help of Ranma," stated Kim. "Contact him and inform him of what has happened. He deserves to know before things get out of hand, and _hopefully_, he'll agree to help. If those two are as skilled as they looked, I'm not going to manage catching them on my own …"

* * *

"Hey! _Careful with that_!" 

"Yes, ma'am!"

A martial artist is not someone to trifle with … the same can be said about chefs and pregnant women … when all of those factors are combined, you've got a ticking time bomb of emotions both good and bad waiting to blow up at someone at the _slightest_ of provocations, and with the skills and strength to make any unfortunate victim feel it for months.

The delivery man for Ucchans had been unfortunate enough to experience her wrath as a chef when he had not heeded her directions in bringing in the supplies for her okonomiyaki, and that was before he had gotten the news of her approaching bundle-of-joy. He still felt the ghostly pain left by the flat of her spatula from that time, so now that she was expecting, he took meticulous care not to excite her in any way.

The job was soon over, and the sun was starting to rise.

Just as the delivery man climbed into his truck, the radio was heard, and Kounji-san froze at the mention of the name "Ranma" in a discussion the early-morning host was having with his listeners.

"Who are they talking about?" asked the pregnant martial artist chef shakily. A bad sign.

"Probably this new tech-tycoon … Koki Ranma, I think … invented this little thing that can expand space within a pocket without changing the outside."

"Good," sighed the chef, relieved. "For a moment I thought they were talking about someone I knew … silly, right?"

"Of course it is, and what's even sillier, is that this kid is a martial artist on the side of making his gadgets … he's made billions of yen over the past months and still takes the time to go on training trips. Owns his own company, what was it? Wild Horse inc. something along those lines, and they produce those little gadgets that are being sold to a lot of satisfied and interested customers all over the world ... are you okay? You look a little pale …"

"I- I'm fine, thank you," replied the woman.

The delivery man nodded and drove off, hoping that this would not come back to bite him some day.

Meanwhile, back at the restaurant, Ukyo was trying to process this new information.

There was a possibility that Ranma was alive … the description of this Koki person was scarily similar to _her_ Ranma. She would need to check this out somehow.

But what if this was _her_ Ranma?

How could she face him with the child of another man growing inside of her?

Maybe she could pass it off as _his_ … no, that wouldn't do … he'd find out somehow that she was lying, and then he'd never trust her again. He might even shun her entirely, despite her being his earliest childhood friend.

No, the best thing she could do, was to face him, hand him the truth of what had happened, and hope he wouldn't think too badly of her.

Now, she would need to find him, get to him, and try to keep Mousse from killing him. Perhaps doing a strip-search of the part-time duck for any concealed weapons before departure was in order … and not telling him where they were going or whom they would visit.

* * *

Author's Notes; Oh, come on … don't complain about how Kuno was handled … I know you can read a threat against the President into Kuno's angry rant about Ranma, especially if you are in a paranoid state of mind, which sadly many people are where angry foreigners waving around weapons of any kind … what has the world come to? And no, this is not a political statement … I have no opinion where politics are concerned, though I am not saying I have no opinion about the persons that are politicians, but those are private. 

I am not saying that the American police is quick to jump to conclusions where foreigners are concerned … I've met a few, including a Sheriff, during my last visit, and they were all very friendly … the Sheriff even distorted his hat and ran around in at least two parades I was witness to, distributing candy to the kids waiting along the road with big plastic bags, and knocking over cameramen who were there to tape the event. If _anyone_ in America is a threat, it's those kids, because they don't care whose toes they trample as long as they get the candy everyone in the parades were throwing at them.

I'm also not saying that cheerleaders in general are stupid, it is merely a stereotype and it I have seen very few exceptions through the only sources I have at my disposal … TV.

Also, I'm not entirely certain about the titles within the police … as I see it, a police _officer_ is a policeman/policewoman with a rank … a constable would be just a step up from security guard, but still a policeperson.

I'm sorry for taking so long with each chapter lately, but for some reason, I find myself feeling sluggish and my mind wanders from one subject to another.

On the bright side, it has been several chapters since my last flame, which means I'm either doing something right, or they've given up or have become too conscious about their wording that they don't sound like flames anymore … I _hope_ it's the first … I'd also like to add that I've now gotten past page 200 in writing this story, and that in a font size of 10 in Times New Roman with slightly widened frames on the page. Some out there might not think this is a lot, but believe me, it's very difficult filling those pages, and smaller font and bigger pages tend to make the amount of words that fit on one page increase … the record so far is nearly 1200, but on average, there is about 870 words a page … roughly.

I'm entering chapter fifteen in the rereading process, so if anyone has anything they want changed from that point on, say it now, or forever hold your peace …

Enough about that, I had an image appear in my head a few nights ago … Ranma, in hybrid form, meeting Leomon who asks what manner of digimon he was. Silly, I know, but flamers should not worry, I do not intend to go through with this, I just thought I should mention it …

For those who should be interested, I have jumped onto the forum wave … unfortunately, the system isn't as cooperative as I'd like, and it would not allow me to select genres to place the two I've made in … I just came up with some discoveries, and didn't feel the need to write entire stories around these ideas when Fanfiction dot net has this forum thingie available. Feel free to stop by the forums for a look, one is about Harry Potter and a theory surrounding his Sorting, the other is about Naruto and his Genin Examination where there seems to be a discrepancy in Naruto's age …

Small writing tip; "Definitely" and "Defiantly". If you say someone is "Defiant", you mean they show aggression or independence by refusing to obey someone. "Defiantly" is an adverb of "Defiant". You use "Definitely" to emphasise that something is the case, or to emphasise the strength of your intention or opinion.

Second writing tip; supplied by Dobe-Teme, "Fury" and "Furry". "Fury" is violent or very strong anger. A "Furry" animal is covered with thick, soft hair … If you describe something as "Furry", you mean that it has a soft rough texture like fur.

Credits; It's not entirely there yet, but in the Kim Possible section of the chapter, there is the beginning of an idea Nysk pointed out to me about gold digging women trying to get Ranma.


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

"What?"

It was a simple question … well … not so much a question as a request for a repeat of whatever information had been given prior to the incredulous request.

Julia sighed in resignation. They had all gone to the tavern to eat a celebratory meal, initially for Julia, but it incorporated Ranma after he defeated Karia in an official battle. It wasn't every day that a relatively unknown person defeated a Weapons-Master, after all.

Julia knew her father would not explain things to Ranma, nor would the others of Karia's party … at least until the time when it became necessary for them to explain. So, the task had befallen her, because her conscience would not allow Ranma to walk around in ignorance of the importance of his victory.

"Depending on the outcome of the Tournament of Arms, there is a great possibility that you will become the new Weapons-Master to replace the one that will be missing from their ranks," repeated Julia patiently. "If I win, then G'Nolga will be exposed for what she has done, and in her dishonour, lose her position as Weapons-Master, leaving room for you to take over, which is the reason you were given the Initiation Test, to have a council of my peers judge whether or not you were deserving of the title.

"If G'Nolga wins, you may still get the job, because she'll have become the true Arms-Master, instead of the temporary one, but her associates may try to put obstacles in your way, because they know you are close to my family," finished Julia.

Ranma was not happy.

He was actually fairly close to being _irate_.

An understandable emotion, considering someone had once again made a life-altering decision for him without even asking for his opinion first.

And the job of Weapons-Master held so many more responsibilities than what he had hoped to do with his life, which was running a dojo and tinker with his inventions on the side. Well, President Iwo had ruined that by applying for patents in his name, thereby forcing Ranma to continue the path his well-meaning friend had beaten for him, which led to more money than he would ever dream of seeing if he followed his original plan, and a world of headaches concerning the security of his blueprints and his little corner of the universe, should his blueprints fall into the wrong hands.

A Weapons-Master was not too unlike a feudal warlord, only without guards, taxes or subjects. And required that he spend at least half a year in Jade to perform his duties, but the form of those months were his own choice unless there was an emergency, so he could spend every other day, week or month in Jade if he so chose.

If a Sheriff or judge was arrested for corruption, or died of natural or unnatural causes, a Weapons-Master would take said official's place until a suitable replacement could be found. Not to mention that it was the Weapons-Master's job to weed those officials out, because no one could be certain how deep the corruption went, and could therefore not trust anyone else with the task.

If a disaster were to break out, natural or intentional, it was the nearest Weapons-Master's responsibility to delegate jobs to soldiers and civilians, see them through the disaster and help clean up afterwards if there was anything left to clean up.

And finally, every ten years, they were to participate in the Tournament of Arms, to weed out those who were talented enough to face the Arms-Master for the title, maybe even participate for the title themselves if they felt so inclined.

This was all a lot to take in, and as Julia had predicted at the Arena, Ranma felt betrayed by Karia … it was like his situation with the Amazons all over again. He had been set up for a major decision he had never considered taking, just like the Amazons' Kiss of Death or Kiss of Marriage, only this was premeditated … Shampoo had given him both Kisses in the heat of the moment, hardly taking any time to think things through … this was different … Karia knew what she had been doing, and gathered witnesses, or judges, to see their battle.

"I need to go for a walk," Ranma stated tiredly. Getting up, he saw all his suitors start to do the same. "Alone," he added, not really feeling like company until he had worked this thing out. He didn't want to take the chance of lashing out on someone, let alone someone close to him, like the women had become.

With sad, hurt, yet understanding eyes, the women watched as Ranma walked out of the tavern.

Not more than a few moments after the weredinictis was out of sight, there was a musical ring from somewhere in the tavern.

Beebee squeaked and pulled out a cell phone, which she flipped open expertly.

"Hello?" she asked uncertainly … there had already been one call that day, what else did auntie Nodoka have to say?

The rest of the party looked on expectantly, waiting for the sound to filter out to them through the speaker. It didn't.

"Oh! That's horrible!" commented Beebee emphatically, covering her mouth with her hand. "Yes, I'll tell him … as soon as he's back from his walk … yes … yes … will do, Auntie … good bye, and give my regards to Nabiki and Kasumi … 'bye …"

Disconnecting the phone, Beebee looked at the expectant faces surrounding her.

"What?" she asked curiously, and started checking if something had gotten on her face, as a possible explanation for their staring.

"What did Auntie Nodoka have to say?" asked Lydia, clearly frustrated.

"Oh, I'd rather wait for Ranma to get back … it's serious …"

* * *

In Nerima, a taxi stopped in front of the Tendo School of Indiscriminate Grappling, and a frail old man came limping out of it.

"That'll be five thousand yen, old-timer," informed the driver.

The old man dug into his pocket, and pulled out a bag, filled with bunches of paper … money.

Counting up six thousand yen, Happosai handed the counted money to the younger man.

"Call the rest a tip," added Happosai when the young man was about to correct him. "Drive safely, sonny."

"Will do, old man," laughed the driver before rolling off in search of his next passenger.

"What a polite young man …" commented Happosai as he turned to the gate of his former home. Though, it had only been his home through means of intrusion and intimidation.

The return of the world's biggest pervert to Nerima did not go unnoticed by the residents, but this was one case where their newly evolved courage failed. After all, this man had a habit of throwing bombs around when he got angry, and they knew they were no match against explosives.

That is not to say that no calls were made to the police, quite the contrary, the number of calls nearly overloaded the phones of the police station, and the Chief was assembling an all male strike-team to go collect the man … no need giving the old pervert more victims to feed his vitality from by forcing women to do this, equal rights be damned, he'd have complaints of sexual harassment in the workplace right up to his neck if he did, and he'd like to keep himself trouble-free until his retirement in a few short months.

While this chaos was taking place, Happosai had knocked on the gate of his former student.

It took only a few moments for the gate to open, and the now well kept martial arts instructor stepped out, looking for the cause of the knocking.

Looking around at his own eye-level, Soun could find no one, and was about to return to training his students, when an aged, terrifying voice stopped him.

"Long time no see, student."

Freezing for a moment, Soun managed to work up the courage to turn back around, and look down at the man who had been his Master for longer than he cared to admit … though there was no arguing with the eventual results of that training, now that he had finally returned to normal after his near decade-long depression, which had rendered him nearly incapable of functioning altogether. For nearly a decade, he had sat around the house and done nothing but mourn his loss … forgetting that he had daughters to raise and keep fed, and a house to maintain.

"Are you just going to stand there all day, Tendo-san, or are you going to greet me?" asked the gnomish little man in an amused cackle.

"Master …"

"Relax, Tendo," chuckled Happosai. "I'm not here for revenge or anything of that sort … I'm here for another reason entirely … I came to apologise for everything I've done to you, and to do the same to your guests and your daughters. I understand if you will not let me, or accept my apology …"

Soun didn't know what to say … the tormentor of his youth and later years had asked his forgiveness. The countless years he and Genma had suffered under his tutelage, running all over the country from the law and people like thieves, sleeping in the cold night air while the old man was resting comfortably in a warm tent, and working off debts while the old man was lounging about, yelling at them to put more effort into it. Soun and Genma had _every reason_ to hate Happosai, and they _had_ hated him to the degree that they tried to kill him. The old man was now asking for his forgiveness for all of it, and knew that there was a big possibility that he would not get it.

As he was lost in his thoughts, Soun did not hear the rapidly approaching sirens of numerous police cars.

It wasn't until he heard the chink of metal rapidly and repeatedly clicking into a lock -_handcuffs_- that Soun snapped out of his trance, and saw Happosai being led away by baffled policemen, all surprised that he was not even protesting to his arrest.

Happosai voluntarily climbed into the back of the car, hands shackled together, and a defeated expression on his face.

"Master!" gasped Soun before he could think things through.

Happosai paused in his actions, and the policeman holding the door did the same.

"You are forgiven," Soun finished calmly … for some reason, he felt better for doing this … _forgiving_ his tormentor instead of hating him.

If only his wife were here with him … she would have been proud of him for forgiving his enemy.

Happosai himself looked a little less meek, but kept cooperating with the police, and nodded his gratitude to his former student.

* * *

Back on Jade, Ranma was regretting his decision in taking a walk.

True, he had gotten time to think things over … weigh the pros and cons of the career set before him, and had in the end decided that had he been _asked_ to take the position, he would most likely have done it with little thought … it would be an ideal job to keep his code as a Martial Artist, protecting those who needed it, and help those that needed an extra hand.

This was all well and good, because he now felt a little less betrayed at being forced into this, but that was not even close to why he was regretting the walk.

He had spotted a gaggle of women marching down the street of the little town, just a few torches and pitchforks shy of becoming a mob in hunt for a monster. Being curious, Ranma went closer to find out the reason for this procession … not the smartest of his numerous decisions.

Upon spotting him, the women, some of which Ranma recognised as women he had saved during his first week as a weredinictis, cried out and pointed at him with expressions of joy, excitement and something slightly familiar.

Not wanting to find out what he had done wrong this time, Ranma ran in the opposite direction.

As one, the mass of women rushed after the now fleeing werecat.

While he ran, dodging and weaving between those going about their business, Ranma wondered if the streets had always been this crowded, if it was only his imagination or if those in the town had all suddenly decided to go for a walk as well, because he could not remember there ever being this many … of course, he had not been thinking about counting heads before, as he had two or more women hanging off him when he last walked down these streets, or had been lost in thought.

Ranma wondered why the women were chasing him, but knew it was not a good idea to stop and ask … they would catch up with him if he did, and it was safer to ask someone else once he was out of trouble.

Spotting the tavern he was staying at down the street, Ranma made tracks for it, and inside, hoping to find a good hiding place.

As the door of the tavern flew open, Ranma quickly spotted his group about to leave the table, and ran for them, noting that there were very few patrons in the bar area, and those who were there were too drunk to care.

The closest person to Ranma was Gina, so with a long and low leap, Ranma made for her, watching as her face went from surprise at his entrance to shocked from him leaping at her.

In mid air, Ranma shifted to feline form, landing softly on Gina's shoulder … or, as softly as he could land in a small body he wasn't used to.

"Don't give me away!" Ranma hissed in Gina's ear, and started draping himself over her shoulder … looking to the world like an alpha male housecat getting comfortable on his human pet. The fangs just barely peeking out of his mouth could be overlooked, so Ranma made little effort to hide them.

"Wha-"

-Crash!-

Gina's question was cut off as a large gathering of women entered the tavern, looking around frantically for something … or some_one_, if Ranma's entrance and current hiding was an indication of their target.

"Did anyone see a black werecat enter?" asked a blonde, skinny woman, who looked like she might have an eating disorder. Ranma remembered her to be one of the prisoners he had to pull out of a small cage early in his Jade adventures … she was obviously still trying to return to normal.

Julia, having caught Ranma's desperate plea, stepped forward.

"He ran through the kitchen, if you hurry, you might catch up with him," she informed them seriously. She was curious about why these women were chasing her potential _future_ Son in Law, twice over. Ranma didn't seem the type to cheat, so there had to be a logical explanation for this … and she intended to find it out even if she had to beat it out of him. Though … after the display she saw with him against Karia, she would have to work for it …

The flood of women crashed through the tavern, knocking over more than one drunk, all of which spilled their drinks and caused them to sob softly in grief and curse the heavens for being so cruel … it wasn't even close to closing time yet.

A few moments after the last of the women had exited through the kitchen, Ranma jumped to the ground and shifted back to human form, fully clothed, and only slightly nervous about the possibility of the women returning once they realised they had lost track of him.

A look at his companions told him that they were expecting an answer.

One or two of his suitors had even crossed their arms under their breasts, tapping their feet, while the other women of his group had their balled fists on their hips.

"They just started to chase me!" Ranma answered defensively. Disbelieving looks met this statement. "Honest!"

"So a large female group of complete strangers started chasing you for no reason whatsoever?" asked Dr Diggers sceptically.

"Well, I recognised one or two of them from the bandit hideout, but I have no idea why they came after me!"

"Now that you mention it," commented Sheila slowly. "Word did spread all over Jade about the Mysterious Werecat that roamed Seers Desert. People travelled from all over to see if they could track you down, and most of them women … you should have seen the drawing that was sold of you shortly after your first appearance!" finished Sheila in a giggle. "It looked like you had an extra tail growing out on your front!"

"But why are they after me?" asked Ranma, choosing to ignore the comment about the drawing … it wasn't as though he was about to deny any exaggeration in the phallic department as long as it was in his favour. Most, if not all, men would see things his way …

"They _want_ you, lover-boy!" purred Sheila and quickly attached herself to Ranma's torso, barely meeting the fellow werecat eye-to-eye. "Just like _we_ do, only _they_ won't get to _stay_ with you or _be_ with you …"

"They're looking for a _romp in the hayloft_ with _our_ man?" asked Lydia, making sure to keep from using the profane word that was very commonly used in describing the act, and emphasise the agreement to share Ranma, just in case Sheila had forgotten.

The friendly smirk on Sheila's face indicated that she was encouraging the other suitors to imitate her.

This challenge was met, as Beebee, Brianna, Lydia and Gina tried squeezing in to embrace some part of Ranma, without making a scene.

Ranma nearly passed out … they were in a public place, where those crazed women who had chased him could return at any moment, Mrs Diggers and Dr Diggers were watching, and a couple of drunks who had gotten new drinks started singing off-key limericks about men who fornicated and cheated. That, and the sensory overload of the five soft forms pressing into him nearly caused all his blood to rush to his face and nether-regions, which added to his nearly passing out.

The "harem" shared an amused look, and agreed that in the future, should Ranma be difficult to deal with, this would be the best way to convince him to see things their way.

In their fun, everyone forgot everything about the phone call from Nodoka … but they would remember before bedtime … maybe, if they didn't manage to lure Ranma into do more than _sleep_ with them …

* * *

Nabiki was not in a good mood.

The morning had started out well … she had awoken from a pleasant dream, and gotten her favourite brand of coffee ready-made for her when she had dragged herself down to the kitchen. Nodoka and Kasumi were close in their cooking skills, so breakfast was as close to a royal feast as she dared imagine.

But, all good things must come to an end, even as early in the morning as during breakfast.

Over the radio, which had been turned on for music, they heard on an urgent news bulletin that a Dr Drakken had escaped with the help of two Japanese citizens, Tendo Akane, and Hibiki Ryoga. The woman on the radio went on to describe what records had been kept on the two, including Akane putting several boys in the hospital, abusing her fiancée, and how she, along with Ryoga, had destroyed property –private and public alike- for millions of yen, if not more.

That had been the low-point of the day, finding out that a family member was an international fugitive of the law.

The only good news the radio had to offer, was that a Kuno Tatewaki had been arrested for repeated cases of Assault and Battery, resisting arrest, and making threats not only to some person named Saotome, but also the American President.

Of course, in her shocked state of mind, Nabiki had forgotten her bento when she left the house for work at the office building where Wild Horse Inc. was keeping a temporary base of operations.

The bus ride was no cakewalk, either, as she was groped on three occasions before her stop.

Then she had to visit the bank where Ranma kept his account and where Nabiki had established a company account, to make sure they had completed the security upgrades Ranma had demanded of them, sitting through an hour of the Manager trying to stall her attention while the security systems were finished before she got to see them. There was no counting the times the fat man had repeated himself in that time. To add to that, the new security system was just barely squeaking by the standards Ranma had set, which meant the bank had to improve by her next visit, and stay on their toes.

On her way back to the office building Wild Horse Inc. had rented a few floors of, she was splashed by the bus as it pulled away after dropping her off. Which was odd, as it hadn't rained in days, so why the street was wet, she didn't know. Then the nearest convenience store had run out of her favourite chocolate bar, which she had been determined to buy as a consolation for her lousy day.

Then to make her day complete, she had several interviews scheduled for new employees … Ranma's friends from the Science Club, to be exact.

Graduation had hardly been a few days earlier, so that meant a good chunk of the Science Club was ready to face the real world, either by moving on to College, University or work. Considering their friendship with Ranma, many of those graduating had chosen work, and applied for positions in Research & Development in Wild Horse Inc. knowing they could probably learn a lot more there than in College, and knowing that if they were rejected by the interviewer, they could always ask the owner, Ranma.

This was why she was sitting across from a certain Kashima Iwo, the now former President of the Furinkan Science Club.

He was applying for a position in the Research & Development department, and Nabiki was to interview him.

Iwo had clearly not forgotten about their previous meeting, and was very nervous.

"So, how did I do?" asked Iwo with a nervous chuckle.

"Well," admitted Nabiki. "You answered everything satisfactory, and I'm certain that Ranma would put in a good word for you … however, I am concerned about how your personal hygiene and your _questionable_ form of recreation will affect the wa of the workplace."

Iwo suddenly felt a lot more nervous … those were good reasons to turn down an application.

"But … I am willing to let you work for a _trial period_, and if you improve during that time, maybe we'll keep you on staff … if not, well, I'll let you imagine what I'd do to you …"

The young man's face lit up with hope.

"Meet with R & D at nine, tomorrow morning, and don't be late," warned Nabiki sternly. Maybe this threat would get him to shower at least a couple of times a week … and maybe comb his hair every day …

Iwo departed with a spring in his step, promising to be on time, and to improve.

Nabiki closed the door and groaned. Now, she had to start looking for another, better defensible location to have the headquarters of Wild Horse Inc. Industrial espionage was a serious threat, and if Ranma was right about the potential destructive capabilities of the technology he had developed, it was better to err on the side of caution than to not wake up the following day because some moron assembled something incorrectly and either blew up the entire galaxy, or made a black hole, with Earth as ground zero.

* * *

Kasumi was not much better off than Nabiki, though she had not been as unfortunate during the day.

No, Kasumi had been torturing herself by mulling over what she could have done differently in bringing up Akane … what could have happened if she had been a better substitute mother, if she had not been as "ignorant" of the goings on of her home and disciplined Akane after breaking her promise never to hit in anger.

Maybe she had been so focused on her dream of becoming a nurse or doctor that she had missed the crucial moments of Akane's upbringing.

Would Akane still have been a fugitive?

Her agonising thoughts kept her from paying attention during class, and so she was told by the professor lecturing them that she should take the day off, and return when she was ready to listen to him instead of staring into space.

It had been very embarrassing to be singled out in front of the whole class like that, and Kasumi had not had it in her to defend herself, so she obeyed with her head hung down in shame both at her inattentiveness and the knowledge that she was directly related to an international criminal.

In any case, she was now with Nodoka, sitting in silence by the phone, waiting for him to call them back about whether he would return or not.

Having been a pseudo mother, Kasumi recognised some of herself in how Auntie was acting, sitting over the phone, waiting for word from her son.

This woman had been separated from her child for well over a decade, so she was uncertain of her maternal bond with her offspring … whether he really loved her or not.

Having her live in his home, even having made space for her when he built it, went a long way towards showing her that he accepted her and loved her, but for an uncertain mother, it was not entirely enough … she needed vocal and physical expression of it.

She had missed most of his life, which was most likely her drive for Ranma to sire children of his own, so she could relive her own days as a mother through her grandchildren, and love them like she never got to do with her own child …

This train of thought made Kasumi think of having children of her own … questioning whether she'd make the same mistakes she made with Akane, or if things would be different with her own children.

She knew that Nodoka used to have high hopes that one of the Tendo girls would be the mother of Ranma's children … why _had_ she declined Ranma when the opportunity had presented itself?

Was it because of the shock of the curse?

Was it her own little rebellion against her father?

Or was it because she had hopes that Tofu-san would work up the nerve to ask her out?

She had heard that Tofu had recently wed, with the secretary of his new clinic in Chiba, and was expecting his firstborn in a matter of weeks. But that information was old … there was no telling how far along the marriage and pregnancy was … for all she knew, Tofu was working on his third by now …

Why _did_ she turn down Ranma?

She certainly found him physically attractable … those quiet afternoons when she made dinner and Ranma was working out in the garden, she'd sneak looks at him, and remember when she was alone.

She knew he had a heart of gold, even if his mouth ran about ten times faster than his brain, or at least it used to, which was what got him into trouble most of the time.

And she knew now that he, like she had claimed for herself the day Ranma first popped into her life, liked older partners. His selection told her as much … the youngest of his suitors was only a matter of months in creation, but the living ones were only two years his senior at the least, five at the most, and Kasumi realised that _she_ fit within that age group.

Would Ranma mind having another woman in his "harem", or did he had enough?

If he was willing, she certainly wouldn't mind giving a relationship with him a shot, even if she had to share him …

Had Ranma's fiancées realised that fighting over him caused him to resist their attempts more, Akane wouldn't be on the run from the law … but, then she, Kasumi, wouldn't have ever left the house to find herself, make a life for herself, and discover that even if she wanted to be a doctor or nurse, she wanted to be a _mother_ even more …

* * *

Author's Notes; Okay, I admit, I feel tempted to add in a Pokèmon crossover, but if the feedback on the Kim Possible crossover is any indication of the reception it will get, I won't do it unless I receive positive feedback on the idea … I realise the story is getting crowded with crossovers, and that would make it difficult for the readers to follow … so for my own peace of mind, could anyone out there remind me of what I've already established as fictional in the story? I think I've done such a good job with masking some of them, that I can't remember which were fictional, and which possibilities lie open. I know I've declared Dragon Ball as fictional, which I regret, as I suddenly remembered that when Gina first arrived at Shangri-La, there was a pair in the background that was oddly reminiscent of Gohan and Goku … at least one of them even had a tail.

But, now it's official … starting the middle of January, I will be unavailable for long periods over a year, and thus new chapters will take much longer from then on … Can't say I look forward to the cause of my unavailable status, but it can't be helped … unless I somehow develop some serious illness or injury that will make it impossible for me to do what I'm supposed to … wishful thinking, I'm afraid … apart from some _unpleasantness_ that comes from gluten, I'm as healthy as can be … sigh … why me?

I have also started planning another story, but will not start posting it yet, because of what I'm facing for the next year … it would be unfair to start writing something so close to the event that will take me away from a computer for a long time, and the only reason I'm doing it to The Black Paw is because this story was started long before I got the news of my event, and it would be unfair to remove it until I can continue it.

Small writing tip; "Whether" and "Weather". The "Weather" is the condition of atmosphere in one area at a particular time, for example if it is raining, hot, or windy. You use "Whether" when you are talking about a choice or doubt between two or more alternatives.

Second writing tip; "Soar" and "Sore". If the amount, value, level, or volume of something "Soars", it quickly increases by a great deal. If something such as a bird "Soars" into the air, it goes quickly up into the air. If your spirits "Soars", you suddenly start to feel very happy. If part of your body is "Sore", it causes you pain and discomfort.


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

It was early morning when a dishevelled shape, yet oddly enough nothing was out of place, stumbled out of a room at the tavern.

Ranma had barely gotten _any_ sleep during the night … he didn't want to think about it for fear of becoming apparent, but he had enjoyed it greatly, even if he had not _asked_ anyone to initiate the event he would not forget … or rather, as a man, was _unable_ to forget … it would probably remain etched into his mind's eye until he'd been dead for a century.

He had only had Beebee and Sheila with him when he awoke, but the other three were still on the same large bed … cuddled together unconsciously on the side Ranma hadn't slept on.

Enough reminiscence about his bedroom activities … he was hungry, and _thirsty_.

Entering the main part of the tavern, Ranma spotted Dr Diggers having breakfast, and tentatively joined him, not being certain if he wanted privacy or would welcome company … luckily, he didn't need privacy and nearly _told_ Ranma to sit with him.

Julia was missing from breakfast. Dr Diggers informed Ranma that she had departed early to prepare for her battle with G'Nolga, which would be later that morning.

The two men ate in silence, not knowing what to say to each other. Ranma didn't know, because he had just gotten out of his room, a room he shared with two of his Sensei's daughters who were in love with him. Dr Diggers didn't know, because the noise from Ranma's room had kept half the occupants of the building awake … only half, because the other half was in a drunken state of unconsciousness that would take a nuclear explosion directly by their ears to make them respond.

They both knew that the other knew of the night's activities, but didn't want to say much for fear of bringing the up the embarrassing subject.

In an effort to end the uncomfortable silence, Ranma finished his breakfast, and excused himself to go for his morning workout.

As he exited the tavern, Ranma remained in human form to avoid being spotted by any roaming women out to get him for some reason.

There were several places he could have gone to train, but that would take him away far enough away to be out of reach, should he forget the time for Julia's final Tournament battle.

The ideal solution presented itself as a bird took flight from the roof above him.

The rooftops … it was _perfect_!

He would be able to train balance at the same time as the exercises he had planned!

Quickly bending down, Ranma picked up a handful of loose pebbles from the ground.

With a controlled leap, Ranma hit the rooftop adjacent to the tavern softly, hardly even making a tap on the tiles.

Spinning slowly, Ranma checked the distances between the rooftops, the angles and heights before doing another spin, this time throwing the pebbles to the rooftops, continuing to spin and toss until he had spent his load … so to speak.

When he was done, Ranma stopped for a moment to compose himself.

As one, the pebbles rose into the air, and started pelting themselves at him while he dodged and weaved through them, doing an intricate, yet of a simple choreography, kata to warm up.

Had anyone been watching, they would have been impressed with the nearly unseen movements, the nimbleness, the power he radiated through his training.

Suddenly, Ranma disappeared in a shimmer from the roof, the telltale signs of a teleportation.

A moment later, he reappeared on a neighbouring rooftop, and continued his kata without missing a beat, while dodging the airborne pebbles.

This process was repeated until he had visited every rooftop surrounding the tavern, at which point, he landed on the tavern and started swatting away the pebbles instead of avoiding them, making it look like he was swatting at mosquitoes instead of rock.

As though this was not enough, larger stones or pieces of wood floated up to certain rooftops, and started moving around. Ranma aimed his swatted pebbles at those targets to train precision aim.

Moving targets always made the best practice for the skilled.

As luck would have it, his "harem" emerged from the tavern just as Ranma's training was winding down, signifying that it was time to go if they wanted tickets for the battle.

"Why didn't you wake us?" demanded a pouting Sheila the moment Ranma touched down in front of them.

"Because I wouldn't get any training done if you were there," Ranma explained as carefully as possible. "I'd be too focused on the five of you to pay attention to what I'm doing, and could end up _hurting_ myself and any _possible bystander_, would you want that?"

"At least leave a note, next time," purred Gina before Lydia or Sheila could act insulted at having their skill put down to the level of bystander. The blonde archaeologist hopped onto Ranma's back, wrapping her limbs around him and started nuzzling against him with a satisfied grin … living with Britanny all her life must have made her adopt a couple of feline traits, because she looked like the cat that ate the canary, drank the milk, scratched up the curtains and managed to frame the dog for it.

Not about to be outdone, Lydia latched onto Ranma's right side, Sheila the left, Brianna his right arm, and Beebee his left, effectively trapping him between them … however, after last night, Ranma didn't mind the close contact … he actually liked it.

Choosing to ignore the jealous stares of passing men, and the annoyed one on his sensei, Ranma started off to the edge of town, where the Grand Arena lay, and subsequently the next and final battle would take place.

* * *

Ranma and his girlfriends, as they had declared they were even if they hinted that they wanted titles of higher rank, sat in their relatively good seats just as the two combatants entered the Arena.

And the Grand Arena was indeed deserving of its name, towering over every building in the town, and easily being as big as several taverns in radius, because it was still a round construction, with a dome roof.

The countless faces blended into a palette of colours from the sheer size of the Arena and the number of people watching.

Julia was dressed in a black one-piece bathing suit with sleeves to mid-bicep length, and a red cloth that acted as a partial toga, covering her backside and the left side of her outfit. Straps in brown leather crossed hither and thither across her body, holding her sword to her left hip, and holding the red toga cloth in place, allowing the back part to flare out behind her down to her ankles without any danger of it sliding out of place or exposing anything better left covered.

G'Nolga wore a white dress with green trimming and a split to her upper left thigh, a golden necklace with a round ruby in it, and her brown hair up in a ponytail with a similar trinket to her necklace holding it, and as soon as she was out on the sandy platform, raised her staff behind her neck, and rested her hands on it confidently.

Ranma couldn't hear what was being said between the two combatants because of the noise of a crowd of more than a thousand gathered in one place, but he could tell the gist of it because he had been informed of the history between Julia and G'Nolga.

With a swift movement, G'Nolga unfastened the top section of her staff, and got ready for combat.

A few words were spoken by Julia, and if looks could kill, Julia would have won the battle simply with the stern glare she levelled on her opponent before she drew her own weapon with a flourish.

"Oh, this is gonna be good!" squealed Sheila excitedly from her seat, which was two seats from Ranma … only two of them could be next to him, so they had drawn straws for those seats, and she had lost. "Go Julia!"

The werejaguar was _really_ supposed to be on the clock, with the rest of the active Northern Edge Guard, but they had met Gar on the way to the Arena, and he had promised to cover for her, giving her the day off … in a way. _Officially_ speaking, Sheila was Ranma's guard, seeing as he was the only member of his werecat species and thus needed protection from the various lowlife of this world while attending a public event. Realistically speaking, Ranma could probably take out more than half the entire Arena uninjured before someone more challenging, like a Weapons-Master, intervened, so he was more than likely _her_ bodyguard instead of the other way around.

The battle as joined so quickly, most watching this would not have been able to tell who initiated it, or what damage they did, but the more trained eyes, such as Ranma's, Lydia's, Dr Diggers, and every other Weapons-Master that was witnessing this, could tell that Julia had started the fight, and G'Nolga was on the defensive, while trying to remain cool and unaffected as she parried and blocked the thrusts and hacks directed at her.

Julia continued with a powerful kick with her knee, which G'Nolga bent under, while blocking a thrust with her sword.

While Julia kicked, G'Nolga kicked Julia's supporting leg out from under her, and slammed a section of her staff into her belly, sending Julia crashing into the ground, skidding several feet on her face.

Ranma could feel Julia's anger as she pushed herself back up, and rushed G'Nolga with a feint, which G'Nolga easily blocked.

What the dwarven woman had not expected, was a second feint immediately following the first, giving Julia the opportunity to step on the bottom section of G'Nolga's staff, severely restricting its use as Julia's blade once more slashed at her from above, an attack G'Nolga had no other choice but to block, leaving herself wide open.

Julia didn't hesitate to take advantage of this opening, and slammed her elbow into the sternum of her opponent, sending G'Nolga flying in a similar manner to how she had been thrown around, with the directional difference of G'Nolga flying backwards, as opposed to Julia, who had been sent _face_ first.

This was when the fight started getting _heated_ as G'Nolga was no more a fan of this punishment than Julia, and was equally as enraged, which led to the two rushing at each other.

Their weapons clashed in a fierce stalemate, and they both realised that they could not win a contest of pure strength, which made them withdraw their weapons and kick out, Julia with her knee, and G'Nolga with her entire leg.

The results were not what they had expected, because as chance would have it, they were placed in such a manner that Julia's knee could easily reach G'Nolga's face, and G'Nolga's foot was extended far enough to reach Julia's … simultaneously … which resulted in the two flying in opposite directions, equally injured … both physically and in pride.

* * *

Up in the stands, Gina and Brianna were very worried for their mother, because they had not seen her in such a serious battle before, nor had they seen her using as much skill against someone else.

Like all children have a tendency to do, they had forgotten that their mother, powerful though she may be, was still only mortal, and there would always be someone out there, somewhere, that was easily her equal or better.

Ranma did his best to calm the women down … but he himself was starting to worry when Dr Diggers pointed something out.

"This is just the beginning," Dr Diggers stated sagely, looking intently on the stationary fighters, who were preparing for the next bout. "G'Nolga is Julia's equal in every way, and in opposite ways. Because of this, Julia's battles against G'Nolga are the most _brutal_ and _punishing_ I've _**ever**_ witnessed Julia participate in.

"Even _I_ am afraid as I watch, Gina, Brianna … _but the worst is still to come_!

"Soon, their passion, skill and anger will reach a crescendo, and when they are pushing themselves past the limits of physical endurance … beyond pain … beyond fatigue … is when I am _most afraid_ … because that is when both G'Nolga and Julia begin to _enjoy_ it …"

Ranma paused at this … that sounded nearly like him and Ryoga … apart from a few things, like gender, species, age and history. Ryoga had for the longest of times hunted for him, and when he found him, Ryoga had tried to kill him, or at least claimed he did. Those fights could have done a lot more damage, both to bystanders and property, if he hadn't actively been trying to avoid that, and what scared him, was that he had looked forward to his only worthy opponent showing up again … at least before he was transformed and transported away.

Did he really thrive on destruction and violence like it sounded?

_Impossible_.

Ranma shook those thoughts from his mind. He _didn't_ like hurting people, he only trained and fought for the betterment of the Art, and to protect those incapable of defending themselves. He _wasn't_ **violent**.

* * *

Once more, the battle was joined on the Arena platform, and the tides shifted too much to enable Ranma to determine who was winning of the two.

G'Nolga would fling the ends of her staff at Julia, which would be blocked.

Julia would slash and stab at G'Nolga, which G'Nolga would mostly sidestep.

However, in one such instance, G'Nolga elbowed Julia's sword quillion, setting Julia off balance and allowing the dwarven woman to slam the end of her sectioned staff in Julia's face, reattach the ends, and slam it again into Julia's chest without losing momentum.

This attack sent Julia crashing into the ground, hard enough for blood to spurt from her mouth, and for her to lose the grip on her sword.

As Julia struggled to compose herself, the audience gasped in awed surprise, and Gina cried out in sympathy, G'Nolga stepped on the sword, trapping it between her foot and the ground and proving that Julia was disarmed.

This was where Ranma really started recognising the similarities between Ryoga and G'Nolga … They both took their victory in advance when it looked like they had the upper hand, and weren't shy about gloating, like Ranma was sure G'Nolga was doing if her facial expressions were anything to go by.

Julia, Ranma saw, recognised that she had been dealt a bad hand this round, and instead of giving a snappy retort like Ranma had against Ryoga and all his opponents before he had physically changed, Julia remained silent as she got back to her feet.

G'Nolga was not going to let Julia have the time to recover too much, and rushed in, her weapon twirling dangerously.

For several minutes, Julia was on the receiving end of a beating, looking to the Arena like she was giving up, just as she was supposed to have done the last time she fought G'Nolga and lost. Ranma, however, recognised the signs of a fighter that was biding their time, waiting through the punishment for the perfect opportunity to turn the tides.

And there it was.

The perfect opportunity.

And Julia was not one to let it go.

G'Nolga's staff was snagged by the attacking end, and trapped under Julia's shoulder, while Julia kicked through the middle section, showering G'Nolga with the shattered fragments of her weapon.

Ranma managed to catch a single message uttered from Julia before the crowds started cheering again.

"You're always forgetting! It is not the weapon that makes the _warrior_ dangerous … it is the warrior that makes the _weapon_ dangerous!"

This was a sentiment Ranma could not help but agree with … in the right hands, even something as harmless as a few specks of dust could be lethal, while in the _wrong_ hands, even the most accurate weapon of mass destruction could harm no one, even the wielder.

What happened next, was so fast, even Ranma had trouble following it … somehow, G'Nolga ended up in a choke hold, with Julia kneeling on her back, leaving G'Nolga no way to gain leverage or hold over her.

For all intents and purposes, Julia was winning.

As G'Nolga was turning red from injuries, straining muscles and slight asphyxiation, Ranma felt another presence in the Arena … only a few feet from the battling pair.

But this presence wasn't visible, and none of the others in the Arena seemed to notice it.

G'Nolga, however, reacted and focused her attention on the approximate location Ranma felt it.

All of a sudden, when G'Nolga looked to be giving up the struggle, she was _flooded_ with power.

G'Nolga impossibly managed to pry Julia's arms from her person, and the battle was once more joined, this time with _her_ dominating the field.

Julia, knowing that something was wrong, avoided getting hit as best she could, but because of the sudden increase in power, and her own exhaustion, G'Nolga was not as easy to avoid as before, and soon, Julia found herself flattened against the wall, cracks in it, and blood trickling slowly from her body.

"Jinkies!" Gina exclaimed. "What's going on here?"

"Someone's tampering with the fight," stated Ranma. "There was an unseen presence in the Arena with them a moment ago, but it vanished shortly after G'Nolga suddenly recovered."

"And I know why she recovered! She's _glowing_!" added Gina frantically.

"What?" asked Dr Diggers seriously.

"G'Nolga's glowing!" repeated Gina. "At least on the Ultraviolet spectrum … she looks almost like a Christmas tree!"

Brianna made a noise of realisation. "Oh, that's right! Gina's specs can scan into the Ultraviolet spectrum!"

"What do you mean by "Christmas tree"?" asked Sheila.

"I mean, she's surrounded by lights!" explained Gina. "But the pattern is matrix-like … originating from some point above her …"

Ranma checked G'Nolga once more with all his senses and could feel the energy being pumped into her, confirming Gina's statement of the energy not being produced organically.

"There … about three- no, ten … wait," started Gina slowly, uncertainly. "It's coming from _orbit_!"

"You mean like from a satellite, or a space ship?" asked Brianna.

"Definitely a satellite!" clarified Gina. "The energy is only being bounced off it!"

"Then why is it working?" asked Sheila. "I mean, magic is as much worth as fertiliser in the ocean with the boundaries of an Arena …"

"It's working because it _isn't magic_!" gasped Gina. "Let's go end this cheating!"

"You're durn tootin'!" exclaimed Brianna in agreement, and started pulling at Ranma.

"Dad, you stay here for mom, this is _our_ area of expertise!" added Gina as she started making her way down the seats, past drunken and excited people, sloshing their drinks or jolting them from their entertainment.

Ranma, Hanza, Brianna, Sheila, Lydia and Beebee immediately followed, leaving Dr Diggers and Julia's newest students to show Julia support during her fight.

As they made it to a hallway leading out of the Arena, Brianna started asking Gina for comparison to their current crisis with those they had encountered in the past, all of which turned up less severe than what they would now be facing.

"Brianna!" Gina finally snapped, "Call your toughest armour from Hyperspace! We gotta _fly_!"

"_Now you're talking_'!" cheered Brianna evilly, no doubt looking to take her frustrations of watching her mother getting beaten out on someone.

" Hyperspace Gate Charge 100 percent. " stated a monotone voice from Brianna's wrist watch.

Pressing her wrist watch, Brianna spoke into it, dramatically drawing out the word. "_Transmute_!"

In a bright flash of energy, Brianna was wearing a thick, purple armour, more heavily fortified than what she wore when she fought at the Arms-Master's Palace, but with weapons in her hands instead of on her shoulders. Covering her head was what looked like a dirt-bike helmet of a futuristic design, and hovering a few feet above and behind her, was a purple peebo with vertical wings as purple as Brianna's entire armour.

Ranma didn't pay attention to the confident bragging Brianna did about the armour, as he was more focused on figuring out how they were going to get all of them to the origin of the energy at the same time … he could pull out the car, but after what happened the last time he drove that thing in this place, he was reluctant to use it.

"Peebo-Mag!" yelled Brianna excitedly. "Activate tractor-beam for my party!"

" Mass of that quantity would overload the system, " informed the hovering peebo.

"Take as many as safety allows, and I'll take care of the rest," responded Ranma, having gotten an idea.

" Tractor-beam engaged, " stated the peebo-mag, and immediately, Gina, Hanza and Beebee lifted into the air.

Ranma spread his arms for Lydia and Sheila to cling to him, and the women weren't about to pass up that offer.

"_BLASTOFF_!" screamed Brianna, and her booster rockets blasted on, sending her flying, along with Gina and Beebee.

Ranma crouched for better bounce, and leapt with Lydia and Sheila clinging to his sides.

Contrary to the laws of Newton, the trio didn't plummet back down, but remained airborne, and accelerating in pursuit of the rapidly moving quartet of women.

As they were flying, Ranma couldn't help but grin at the possibilities of this new application of telekinesis.

Faster than any helicopter could travel, the group approached a small mountain with a structure built into it.

Following Brianna, Ranma made directly for the roof of the structure, which suddenly exploded after Brianna screamed out an enthused battle cry, immediately followed by her tearing into the hole she had created, guns drawn and ready for action.

-Sniff!- "Ah! Doncha' just _love_ the _smell_ of cordite and photon and ozone and nitro?" Brianna asked dramatically as she descended into the room under the hole she had made. "Now, _who_ is the bad guy that is helping G'Nolga _cheat_ at the Arena?"

A man with slim glasses, dark hair and moustache muttered something under his breath as a tiny piece of the roof bounced off his head.

"Brianna!" called Gina as she, Hanza and Beebee floated in with the peebo. "The energy matrix is originating from the big bald guy's octahedron! Deploy your weapons in a destructive manner so that we can save mom!"

Ranma and his passengers touched down along a large, nearly horse-shoe shaped desk, behind which the bespecktacled man stood, and the other three touched down as well.

"Wait a sec!" exclaimed Brianna suddenly. "That's Tirant! That nasty supervillain we fought a few years ago on Earth!" she yelled, pointing at the bald man Gina had pointed out as the bearer of the energy source that helped G'Nolga cheat. "And _Array_?" asked Brianna, pointing at the woman Ranma seemed to recall being the one who freed Brianna from jail, and had tried to free him, by depositing the pair of them and some other guy in the path of a giant, walking Elvis statue that Ranma had broken shortly after by blowing off one of its knees.

The pink-haired woman was sweating with nerves, and seemed to hold an internal argument with herself before yelling out "Tirant! Use the power of Bain on them! The transport beam!"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, dearest," stated Tirant, and cast around for a solution. "Bain's transport beam is still charging …" he spotted Hanza, and failed to notice that she was standing _with_ the people that had shown aggression towards his plans. "But don't worry, it has other defence systems that could keep our friends busy until the charge is complete and we can imprison them forever inside Bain!

"Think of it as a more powerful, but a more obvious enhancement than the one I gave G'Nolga. Hanza! Prepare to receive _the power_!"

Hanza was very surprised, but realised that Tirant must not have noticed that she was no longer on his team. G'Nolga had, after all, sent her on a mission, and had probably not told her associate what that mission was, and the man was more concerned with Brianna and Gina than the others, and thus must have failed to notice that she arrived with them.

About to protest, Hanza was not prepared for what happened next.

In a swirl of power, she was covered in a more revealing version of what Brianna was wearing. Armour on her head, shoulders, arms, forearms, hips and shins. The head protector looked like Penny's "bunny ears", without covering anything more than around the forehead and ears, the shoulders were completely covered, and the arms and forearms were only covered on the outer side, as with the hip guards in the shape of a skirt only covering the back and sides nearly down to the knees. Hovering a couple of feet from her shoulders, was a pair of spheres, surrounded by a horizontal triangle band of energy

Still shocked about the sudden turn of events, Hanza did nothing but stare at her new armour.

This response was apparently not what Tirant had expected.

"What're you waiting for, Hanza? Get to work! Attack!"

"No."

"_What_?" Tirant demanded.

"I said _no_," repeated Hanza in a more assured tone. "I will not take orders from you again. Multiplicto! Initiate Protection Protocols!"

" Engaging Protocols … "

"Great! … Wait … Who's Multiplicto?" asked Hanza, suddenly wondering where she got the voice and instructions from.

" … Delay Previous Order? "

"No!"

" … Protocols Engaged … "

Hanza who had been surprised at both her armour and the fact that it spoke to her aloud, was nearly knocked down in shock as the two orbs hovering slightly away from her lowered to waist height, and the triangle energy surrounding them started spinning dangerously fast, looking like spinning chakram of yellow energy.

With a mocking grin, Brianna settled into a defensive stance next to Hanza, clearly amused at how surprised the supervillain was at the unexpected turn of events.

Not about to be outdone in front of Ranma, Beebee took Hanza's other side, and called forth her cannons and gun.

The trio put on a truly intimidating display … Ranma absently realised that they also looked slightly arousing … three well endowed, well put together women, striking poses in tight or revealing clothes.

Lydia and Sheila drew their own weapons, and took up protective flanking around Gina, who had not drawn any weapons, but as she saw everyone else seemed to, she opened her jacket to take out her pocket-sub-nuclear-electro-magnetic-pulse-caster, since the Bain seemed to be technology, not magic, and the best way to disable technology, was an EMP, but since most of her allies used some form of technology as well, a controlled blast was the only solution.

Tirant, seeing the entire thing, _panicked_.

"_Array_! Summon someone who can take care of this!" he yelled frantically. "And focus on the one with glasses! Hurry, before it gets out of control!"

"Too late …"

Ranma looked over his shoulder at the source of the voice … it was his sensei.

"I'm afraid the situation is _completely_ out of your hand, _now_!"

"Dad!" exclaimed Brianna and Gina sugary, knowing they were in trouble.

"Gina," answered Dr Diggers sternly. "I assumed you _knew_ how to use a cell-phone … was I incorrect?"

Tirant looked at Dr Diggers, and discovered Ranma as well, as though he only just realised Ranma was there, most likely only having seen the group as just that, not as individuals … this probably made him think that he came with his sensei. He then suddenly gained a manic expression, alerting Ranma to bad news ahead.

"Magic users!" Tirant laughed. "_Perfect timing_!"

The unknown, bespectacled man who had thus far remained quiet, widened his eyes in fear, clearly also noticing Ranma's garb for the first time.

"Oh no … _NO_!" exclaimed the man. "THEO! _For the love of Jade_! _I'm begging you_, _take your student and leave_! _Your daughters and their friends have **everything**_ _under control_!"

"We do?" asked Gina and Brianna, surprised that their father was being yelled at for coming to the rescue, even if they didn't need it.

"Bain …" stated Tirant smugly. "Activate Power Drain!"

A high pitch whining sound, not all that different from the sound of a flash bulb charging, started reverberating throughout the room, until Dr Diggers became enveloped in a pale blue aura of energy.

Ranma noted that Dr Diggers was rapidly losing energy, and couldn't really do anything about it at the time, but that didn't mean he didn't try.

Very quickly, Ranma crossed the distance between his former position and that of his sensei, and slapped a pair of bracers, similar to the ones he put on his father, onto his sensei's arm. Another few movements later, Ranma had programmed the bracers to feed environmental energy into Dr Diggers, like the ones he gave Gina to put on "Mumsey". However, the effect wasn't as fast as the draining, so all he did, was slowing the drain down.

"I shouldn't have come …" muttered Dr Diggers tiredly as he dropped to his knees. The bracers were the only things keeping him awake at the time, and even the bracers wouldn't be able to fight the drain much longer.

The pale aura enveloped Ranma as well for a moment … Ranma feared he would lose power as well, but the aura faded away without doing anything to him. Had he had the time, Ranma would have wondered why.

"_DAD_!"

The obvious distress in the Diggers women made Ranma forget about the aura that had enveloped him, and look to Dr Diggers, who had lost consciousness, and lay where he had knelt.

"Bain!" yelled Tirant in angry amusement, "Take them all! _Transport Beam_!"

Without much of a show, the entire group vanished, leaving Array, Tirant and the bespectacled man behind.

* * *

The sensation of being instantly, and mechanically, transported to another location in an instant was a disorienting one. Sort of like being spun in a rapid pirouette for ten minutes, then set to walk a straight line, without the nausea.

Ranma knew better than to attempt walking, and instead sat down to conserve his energy instead of wasting it trying to stay up. Perhaps the effects would gradually diminish with repeated use of the transport … Instead of focusing on his disorientation and its effects, he started looking around the place he had been transported to.

The place was big, metallic and sterile. This was the _brief_ description of the place.

There was a big window, or opening, showing what looked like an entire hyper-modern city with a tower reaching up to a ceiling, which looked to be an entire upside-down city of its own as well. There were no lights, or even signs of a light source that would allow him to see the city or the room. The room he was in seemed more like a corridor, stretching and curving, possibly surrounding the city or sections of it.

The bad news was that Ranma had no idea where this place was.

The good news was that he wasn't alone. The rest of his party and Dr Diggers were there as well. Hanza even had on her new armour … and most of them seemed to be getting better from the unexpected transport. The one who seemed the worst off, was Dr Diggers, who was unconscious on the ground as a result of the drain, but he would recover quicker with the help of the bracers.

"Are there any injuries?" asked Ranma generally, quickly scanning their surroundings when his eyes caught sight of a flicker of light. Around the corner of the corridor, shadows painted themselves onto the wall, revealing the cause of the disruption in the lighting.

"No injuries, but dad-"

"Will be fine in a moment," interrupted Ranma, before Brianna could start to panic … the two sisters still knelt around their father to check on his vital signs. "But for now, we have company."

The group looked in the same direction as Ranma, and settled into a defensive pattern as the shadows grew bigger and closer.

A golden head came into view, revealing Onoli's curious face.

And he was not alone … following Onoli, was a group of people in varying sizes and races.

This was the time when Dr Diggers started coming to.

"Dad?" asked Gina carefully. "Are you okay?"

"W-where are we?" asked the mage tiredly.

"We're _inside_ Bain, Dr Diggers," Onoli explained as he approached. "And so is everyone who has ever been taken by its transport beam."

"What?"

"Calm down," interrupted Ms Nali, the healer. "You appear to have experienced a severe energy drain."

"As near as we can tell, Bain contains …" Onoli paused, searching for a good way to describe it. "_Ruins_ …" he finally decided. "Miles and miles of them … well, from our perspective that is."

"Everyone is out there now, exploring," continued Nali. "Trying to make some kind of sense of this place … it's been slow and frustrating … although we are all magic-users, with the exception of you recent arrivals, we can't make heads or tails of the strange writings and cryptic images here … despite our intellects … I suppose we simply _lack_ the experience in dealing with this sort of thing. " –sigh- "What we _really_ need, is an _archaeologist_."

Ranma saw Gina smirk in response.

"Really?" she purred confidently.

Oh, the joys of being in the wrong place at the wrong time …

* * *

Author's Notes; I know, it's been an eternity since the last update, but the computer crashed unexpectedly … ironically nearly simultaneously with the second computer, leaving me without a computer for days … I was about ready to start climbing the walls, if I hadn't contracted a cold that kept me docile enough not to really have the focus needed to do so, and then the internet didn't want to work for several days, but, now I'm back!

By the way, I am now at chapter 23 in the rereading process … I managed to reread five chapters since the last update, and might match that number for the next chapter as well. Though I cannot make any promises, I will try to crank out a chapter or two a month until I'm off. If it should come to it, although I feel is unlikely at this point, I may write a sequel story to this one, but with how I plan on rounding things up this will not happen.

I've decided not to include Pokémon as a crossover, but, in order to get it out of my system for this story, I have written an Omake about a brief encounter. This Omake will have no impact on the story itself, it's just for fun.

Credits: Omake inspired by review by Shadow Life

Small writing tip; Affirmed by Lyronix; "Their", "There" and "They're". "There" is used as the subject of the verb "Be" to say that something exists or does not exist, or to draw attention to it … You use "There" in front of certain verbs when you are saying that something exists, develops, or can be seen. Whether the verb is plural or singular depends on the noun which follows the verb. You use "Their" to indicate that something belongs or relates to the group of people, animals, or things that you are talking about. "They're" is the usual spoken form of "They Are" in past or present tense.

Second writing tip; "Now" and "Know". If you "Know" a fact, piece of information, or an answer, you have it correctly in your mind … if you "Know" someone, you are familiar with them because you have met them and talked to them before … if you "Know" a language, you have learned it and can understand it. You use "Now" to refer to the present time, often in contrast to a time in the past or the future.

* * *

OMAKE

It was the first day of the Indigo League tournament, and all the registered trainers for this event were marching into the arena where the final battles would take place.

It was a very large, square field, marked by white lines in a rectangle, with a circle in the centre. On each short side, a smaller rectangle was marked, displaying where the competitors were to stand.

Along one of the long sides of the stadium, on the opposite side of where the trainers entered the arena, a set of stairs were leading up to the wall, and on top of that wall was something that looked like a satellite dish, pointing back inwards and upwards.

Excited crowds were cheering and calling for their favourite trainer, or simply because these trainers had enough gusto to travel all over the region, and collect all of the eight badges required to be allowed entry into the tournament by defeating the Gym Leaders that were set to test the trainers' skills and strategies.

As the trainers all lined up, facing the dish at the top of the stairs, a girl ran out from one of the back corners, carrying a torch with a white-hot flame blazing in it.

At the middle of the large group, there was a wide gap between trainers, set aside for just the purpose of access, allowing the bearer of the torch to reach the stairs without accidentally setting any of the trainers on fire.

At the top of the stairs to the Central Torch, the girl was stopped by two figures, one male and one female, donned in clothes that were all the rage in Rome during the rule of Julius Caesar.

Just as the confused girl was about to hand over the flame, a bright flash of light erupted above the stadium, and a black figure pummelled towards the ground.

Mere inches from impact, the figure ceased its descent, and remained stationary, hovering above ground.

Ranma, who had just recovered from his fall, took a quick glance around the stadium he had somehow ended up in.

For some reason, he was in hybrid form, when he clearly remembered being in human form when he was practicing on the rooftops around the tavern he and his girlfriends were staying at.

Touching down, Ranma looked at where he was, between two large groups of people mostly in their teens in the middle of the stadium.

Upon further inspection, he noticed that he was the subject of intense scrutiny in more than one way.

A kid to the left of the stadium pulled out what looked like a little, red book, and opened it, revealing that it was not a book, but made of plastic, and having no sheets of paper between the two connected halves.

" Pokémon species unknown, " said a digitalised male voice mechanically. " Please capture, and send the unknown pokémon to a qualified pokémon researcher for further study. "

A cheer broke out from the female teens that heard this message, having spent the time before the message staring at the form of the unknown entity before them, and suddenly a barrage of small, red and white balls were hurtling for Ranma.

Because Ranma had not only heard the message, but also seen the feral, lusty glint in the young women's eyes, he wasn't about to stand still and let himself get captured, however that was done, by those balls so he used this as an opportunity for further training, and slapped the balls out of the air using telekinesis, or evaded those he didn't have the time to move.

"It's a psychic type!" called a voice from somewhere in the crowds, the gender of the owner was uncertain, because of its young age.

"Well, the best thing to weaken a _psychic_ type would be a _ghost_ type!" reasoned a teenage male from somewhere in the group on Ranma's right. "Haunter, go!"

Another ball sailed through the air, and Ranma got ready to slap it away, when it opened in mid air.

A red, jagged beam of light shot out, and left behind what looked like a gaseous, black head and disembodied hands, floating in relatively close proximity to the head.

Confused about this new creature, Ranma wasn't prepared for it to shoot a black beam of … _something_ at him, so he couldn't avoid it.

The beam struck him head-on, sending him careening towards the foot of the stairs, where he made a sizable dent in the masonry.

Still disoriented from his light injury, Ranma would have gotten hit by at least one of the dozens of red and white balls thrown at him, had not a giant machine that looked like a grasshopper with a bowl of fire on its back, stepped in and fired a net at him, pulling him away from the hail of gadgets.

" Ahahahaha! " laughed a female voice over an intercom emanating from the flaming grasshopper, making Ranma shudder, as it reminded him of Kodachi … but it couldn't be her, right? " You didn't really think we'd allow this rare pokémon to be captured by the likes of _you_? "

" That's right! " agreed an effeminate male voice over the same intercom. " When we give this rare pokémon to our Boss, we'll get a promotion _for sure_! "

" An' den we'll be da fat-cats! " laughed a weasel-like squeaky voice.

"You won't get away with this, Team Rocket!" yelled an angry boy from the group of kids in the stadium. "Not with the sacred flame, or the unknown pokémon!"

" Hey, look, it's the twerp, " commented the feminine man.

" Back off, kid, dis pokémon is _ours_ now! " threatened the voice that sounded like a cartoon parody of a gangster from the nineteen-twenties.

"Okay, that's it!" snapped Ranma loudly, unconsciously magnifying his voice with his ki, causing all glass within the nearest hundred metres to shatter.

Using his claws, Ranma slashed through the ropes that made the net, and leapt at the robot, delivering a mighty punch to where a jaw might have been.

A resounding groan was heard for miles, as the metal gave way to Ranma's fist.

However, for every action, there must be an equal or opposite reaction. It was pure physics.

The force of Ranma's punch was too powerful for the weight of the robot to withstand, and anyone who has ever played billiards will know that when the cue stick hits the ball, it will move, not necessarily because the ball is round, but because it is unable to find enough friction for its weight to oppose the force delivered by the stick … here, the results were similar.

Because the robot's weight found no friction, mostly because little friction could be found from the angle of the strike, it was sent flying until it was nothing more than a twinkle on the horizon.

The flaming bowl on its back was torn off, and landed with a crash where it had been standing when Ranma first arrived.

Not wanting to endure more of this, Ranma did the only thing he could think of … he teleported away, hoping he'd get back in one piece, and that he would never have to meet any of these insane people ever again.

In the wake of Ranma's departure, the tournament went back on schedule, but everyone present couldn't help but feel that they had witnessed _history_, the makings of a future legend … and only trainers were disappointed at not being able to capture the pokémon. The parents of these trainers, and some researchers, knew that the legend would be even greater now that there were no signs of it ever having existed, except for tapes and pictures that would fade in time or get discredited as doctored.


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

The following conversation went by much too fast for Ranma to pay attention … however, he got the gist of things. Gina introduced herself by profession and title, even dropping hints about her award earlier that year.

Onoli and Nali had exchanged looks and agreed to let Gina run the exploration.

Naturally, Ranma and his group had been _volunteered_ to help.

What Gina discovered during the next hour, was nothing short of astonishing.

Firstly, not a single piece of this place would be found _anywhere_ on the periodic table.

Secondly, according to Gina's readings, this place predated the _known universe_.

She wasn't alone in these discoveries, as Dr Diggers got the same results through his methods. However, he reminded Gina that their main priority would still be to find the power source of Bain, and shut it down to give Julia a fighting chance against G'Nolga.

"I can't help but think that Tirant would never have been able to imprison us here inside this artefact if I hadn't arrived …" sighed Dr Diggers after informing his daughter of his findings. "He drained my power … my mag-"

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself," interrupted Ranma. "What's done is done and it can't be changed without drastic consequences to all involved."

"He's right, Dr Diggers," agreed Onoli seriously. "No one was prepared for Bain's powers, least of all me and my team … or the other magic users trapped here."

"Onoli, any word from the others searching the ruins?" asked Dr Diggers, recovering from his bout of guilt. They had business to finish, and it needed to be done as fast as possible.

"Sorry, Doctor," apologised Onoli sadly. "Only your team seems to be making any progress."

The werelion paused for a moment.

"By the way, a- any news?"

"We're close, my friend," Dr Diggers assured him. "Very close … I just hope we can find a way to wrest control of Bain away from Tirant before it is too late …"

* * *

Peewee had, as seemed to have become the trend lately, unhappy.

Not only had he and his employees been unable to locate the lost wererat samples, but an ancient Amazon had brought her hunting party into his labs, and _made camp_ there … this, in turn, made working on his projects virtually impossible, because it was too crowded to move properly without getting in someone's way.

Though, even Peewee had to admit that every member of the hunting party, apart from the ancient elder, was very attractive. The skimpy armour and blatant display of sharp weapons oddly added to the attraction, bordering them on semi-erotic …

Ionis had foolishly, in hindsight, engaged in combat with a rather large woman … a giantess if anything, and he had won. Granted, it had been a lucky shot to drop his large tome on the toes of the giantess when she had picked him up by his robes, and who would have guessed that she had not noticed the support beam directly over her head as she started hopping on one foot in pain and knocked herself out?

Then, after the fact, the group was informed of the Amazon marriage laws, and they said that the woman had effectively married Ionis by allowing him to defeat her.

When the giantess came to only a moment after being knocked out, she had grabbed her husband by a leg and dragged him off somewhere to have a brief honeymoon … the sounds of which could be heard throughout the entire property even with the soundproof padding installed to keep the neighbours from complaining about the noise Peewee's experiments often made.

Luckily, Daishi had witnessed the battle and consequences, so when a couple of Amazons challenged him, he surrendered before they landed a blow on him. He wasn't ready to commit to anyone just yet.

In an effort to drown out the noise, Peewee had engaged in conversation with the least distracting member of the hunting party … Cologne.

The conversation, what wasn't interrupted by the screaming pleas of mercy and pain from Ionis, was enlightening, and not very reassuring.

Ionis would not be able to travel with his newly acquired wife, because it was the biologic enhancements Peewee provided with him regularly that not only kept him in magic, but also kept him alive.

This would normally have posed a problem to Amazon law, but seeing as the giantess in question was the least productive of the entire team, granted that didn't say much because they had all been hand picked by their Elders for their excellent skill and _none_ of them had been working to their full potential, they could afford to let her remain on Earth, provided she was allowed to attend certain functions in Jade. In order to accomplish this, a scroll would be left behind for her, taking her directly to the Amazon village she was from. It had not been used to take the entire party back to Jade, because the landing would be too far from where they knew their target would be, and it only worked once on a small amount of mass compared to the large numbers their party held … they had another scroll that could take half the party, because it had originally been planned that each half of the party would have one, but recent events made Cologne decide that the Amazons native to this realm would remain after capturing Ranma.

In return for this favour, Peewee had been kind enough to inform Cologne of the recent changes in Ranma's name and wealth … the old bat didn't believe a word of it until he dug out an image of the front page of Science Monthly, where a serious Ranma was holding out his arm, with a small device in it that resembled a small bracelet with a very thin wire … the device had obviously been added after the first image, because the resolution didn't match entirely, but that wasn't important.

Cologne had immediately demanded a more extensive file on Ranma since she last saw him in the flesh, and if it hadn't been for the creaking of wood coming from the cane she used as transportation, Peewee would have felt tempted to refuse … however, if the old crone was strong enough to put enough strain on the dense wood, he didn't want her getting physical without an army of wererat clones between them … if only he had gone through with his abandoned idea …

So, in an effort to spare himself any pain, Peewee caved in and told the old woman all he knew of Ranma's itinerary for as long as he'd known about him … Cologne was not pleased to learn that most of her information about the young man had become obsolete, and for a moment, Peewee thought she would whack him over the head with the sturdy cane just to release some aggression.

At the moment, Peewee was reviewing his surveillance information on a projector, as there was little else he could do with the crowded lab.

-click-

An image of Penny Pincer and Charlotte appeared on the screen. It had been taken that very day, by Daishi because Zelda couldn't grip the camera while photographing without crushing it, and there was definitely something odd going on in that place … the harpy, Charlotte, was still wearing her maternity dress, but what was truly different, was that she had now, somehow, filled it out and seemingly done so over the weekend.

-click-

The image zoomed in on the bulging belly of the normally trim and thin harpy. It had definitely filled out over the weekend … the image a few days earlier did not show this pronounced a belly … and according to Zelda, who had followed the duo around in disguise, they had not purchased any nuts for the past week, so she could not have overeaten on them. That left only one possibility … _somehow_, the harpy had gotten pregnant, but how and whom with?

-click-

-click!-

Peewee blushed as he quickly skipped an image … he hoped no one saw it, because it would have been most embarrassing … someone had managed to sneak in an image of him during his potty training.

Only one person on this planet had access to those images … _his mother_ …

She had not liked him having so may friends over at once, and this was probably her form of revenge … sneaking in embarrassing photos of him into his slides …

Oh, he'd show her … after his victory over Gina Diggers, of course. And with the Amazons there to assist, getting those werecreature samples would be child's play … at least according to his calculations of the women's skills and his knowledge of his own teams … they couldn't possibly lose, even with Brianna's army of peebos and Gina's hurtbots against them.

Without realising it, Peewee's chuckle started turning into a maniacal cackle.

-thud-

"Ow! Okay, who threw that shoe?"

* * *

Things weren't entirely as bad in the Diggers' place, but mostly because most of the family was in another realm.

Madrid was lounging on her bed, thoroughly enjoying herself.

The two wererats she had released from the holding cell were catering to her slightest whim, and were safe in her chambers, because this family thought it rude to snoop around other people's private quarters, despite the house being theirs.

She occasionally had them do surveillance of the property, or check on the lab, but other than that, her every waking moment was made easier with her wererat _servants_.

Genn and Dao were less pliant than she had anticipated, and wanted nothing to do with her schemes …

Genn was more concerned with mending the broken heart of her crush, Seance, who had realised that Gina would never return his feelings for her. Dao was nearly as heartbroken for the same reason, but he immersed himself in work in the lab.

Britanny was suspicious, but because she had no hard evidence to warrant invading Madrid's quarters, so she left it at being extra cautious around her.

However, the heartbroken mage might prove useful to her plans, reasoned Madrid as she ate a grape. When her host eventually found the tablet, having a mage on her side would only increase her chances for success.

* * *

Kuno Kodachi was in a foul mood. The reason for her mood was that her family was falling apart.

Her brother was in America and imprisoned for making terrorist threats, assaulting both civilians and policemen, and let's not forget resisting arrest … he had only made matters worse by attacking the first person he saw when he regained consciousness. It was simply bad luck that this person had been his assigned doctor and in the process of mending his broken bones. The family now faced the possibility of several lawsuits for his actions, and if they were sued, the family would be ruined without chance of recovery.

Her father was somewhere in Hawaii, lost in his own world of surfing, haircuts and palm trees, not to mention he was incommunicado. It wouldn't surprise her if the man had no idea of what his son had done, even if it had played on the news all over the world … granted, most of the world only played it as a minor incident, but the victim is always the most sensitive and thus more concerned about such events.

That man could blend into a Hawaiian crowd like a single grain of sand in a desert, which would make locating him nearly impossible unless one knew exactly where to look.

But what ticked her off the most, was that Ranma-sama was gone again, along with that redheaded witch.

She had found out that Ranma was alive and well through various media advertising Wild Horse inc. and its owner, showing him walking out of a bank nowhere near Nerima. However, she had yet to find out where he lived … for some reason, even the former Mrs Saotome had more or less disappeared not more than two weeks after her brother managed to tear himself loose from her control.

It was not bad that she knew that her Ranma-sama was under the control of the redheaded witch, but what bothered Kodachi greatly was the perverted deeds her Ranma-sama might be forced to perform while in the redhead's influence.

So far, the only possible connection between the redheaded witch and her Ranma-sama, was the redheaded woman Tendo Nabiki lived with … she bore a slight resemblance to the redhead, and was coincidentally the mother of her Ranma-sama, but there had been nothing to suggest that he had a sister or cousin and the redheaded witch had often been introduced as the cousin of the Tendo family …

Was this a plot for the Tendo women to have their way with her Ranma-sama with the blessing of his mother?

Impossible, Ranma-sama's mother was of good stock, from what her behaviour suggested, and would not tolerate having such acts of perversion taking place under her roof.

Could the redheaded witch have placed the former Mrs Saotome under her spell as well?

This could be part of the explanation of why the occupants of the apartment had seemingly disappeared off the face of the Earth, but where had they gone to?

"Argh, this is giving me a headache …" Kodachi grumbled. "_And where is Sasuke with my ice-cream_?"

* * *

Back inside Bain, Gina's group of explorers had come across a door of sorts. Now they had congregated before it to devise a way to open it.

"The design of these ruins seems to follow a strict fractal pattern," explained Gina. "Like it's all part of a … mathematical formula … hopefully the door lock follows the same pattern."

Brianna, however, looked a little uneasy. "Gina?" she asked cautiously. "Isn't this all a bit … _familiar_ … to you? Like we've _studied_ this science _before_?"

"Yeah," agreed Gina. "It's on the tip of my tongue …"

Lydia choked back a snicker, revealing to all who heard it that she managed to get two separate meanings out of that sentence. Ignoring the sound, Gina continued.

"I just wish I could remember whose technological designs these ruins remind me of …"

Meanwhile, Ranma overheard Onoli stating to Dr Diggers that he was going to find a high vantage point, because there would likely be a conflict, and he would want to call for the rest of his Edge Guard when that time came.

"Heeere goes!" announced Gina as she pressed what she had figured out must be the combination for the door.

With a hiss, stale air escaped from behind the doors and the doorway was cleared for entry.

"All clear," called Brianna, who immediately stuck her head inside. "Just more of that pattern stuff …"

"Good," smirked Gina. "It looks like the last pieces of the puzzle are right here …"

"You've been copying down these patterns since we started, sis," stated Brianna and came up beside her, staring at the patterns to see if she could discern what her sister was, but gave up after a moment. "What's it all mean?"

Dr Diggers coughed uncomfortably. "Brianna, those patterns, as you refer to them, are actually writings in Ribbon," he explained. "Jade's Ancient writing symbols …" seeing Brianna's flat gaze, he suddenly became uncertain. "Aren't they?"

"'Fraid not, dad."

"These _ribbons_ are really part of an _immense **integrated circuit**_!" explained Gina. Not taking her eyes off the computer. Ranma peeked over her shoulder to have a look at the readouts. "A circuit of incredible complexity … As a matter of _fact_, I'm willing to bet that Jade's ancient writing symbols are based on a computer chip created before our universe existed … and now that I have all of the circuit and its program entered, let's see what happens when I _run_ it …"

With a loud humming, the light was turned on, displaying a raised platform and a comfortable-looking chair with a view of several surfaces that were probably monitors, considering what Gina mentioned about circuitry.

"Bingo," chirped Gina in triumph. "We now have _control_ over the entire ship …"

"Ship?" It was uncertain who was asking, because the question was asked in numerous voices. Ranma looked around to see if anyone would give themselves away through facial expressions, but everyone in the room were shocked at the revelation.

"Says so _right here_ in the data files I just opened," confirmed Gina. "This place is a ship … or rather, an _ark_ …"

"Unbelievable," remarked Dr Diggers in awe.

"Not as unbelievable as what's coming next, dad," warned Gina, her eyes glued to her monitor.

Ranma resisted the urge to return to watching the thing over her shoulder, not only because continued practice of hanging over someone's shoulder is considered rude and annoying in most cultures, but because now that he had experienced the pleasures of the flesh with his current suitors, a situation would arise that was not at all suitable for the current time and place.

It was not needed for him to do so, in any case, as Gina held the small computer up for all to see. On the monitor was the image of a golden sphere in space, marred with lines of rigid, yet chaotic design. Surrounding the sphere, hovering barely above the surface of the gold, was what looked like clouds of grey metal, also sporting the same design on its surface.

Flying above this sphere, were a few disc-like space crafts.

"_This_ is the data-file image of the planet "Jade"," Gina started. "About a billion years before completion … as you can see here, Jade is a _device_. A construction."

Noises of disbelief were made by those native to this world, but Gina would not be deterred.

"- _They_ called it "Nexus"," she continued. "They made it, and the pocket dimension it exists in, just after our universe formed … It was to be the perfect "hiding place." A hiding place for _three_ arks … extremely powerful ships which transported them and two other races from some great … _great_ disaster."

Off to the side, Ranma could hear Dr Diggers mutter to himself in disbelief. It wasn't that he didn't trust his daughter to uncover the truth, but he worried about how the world and the Druid Council would react to it.

"Who are "They"?" asked Ranma before anyone could ask similar questions. He was curious … this civilisation who had created an entire dimension for a hiding place, independent of any outside power to maintain it … who were they, and what did they need to hide from if they were so powerful?

Gina started answering, but cut herself off after the first syllable in surprise.

"They are the Artificers!" she finally managed to gasp. "The Nomad Artificers! Jinkies! After _years_ of trying to track down their history … years of chasing rumours and running into dead ends … years of coming up empty … here they are …"

Her awed, powerful emotions were clear in her speech and tone. This would be not unlike a physician discovering the ultimate cure to all disease after a lifetime of research, loss, sacrifice and dedication.

"Gina," interrupted Ranma carefully, placing an arm on her shoulder to remind her of the real world. "Please focus on the task at hand … you can get back to this later, when we're not in a hurry. Can you deactivate whatever's feeding G'Nolga with power?"

"R-right," stuttered Gina as she returned to the here-and-now. "The Command Throne-"

"Not so fast," interrupted a familiar voice. The Command Throne swivelled around to display the mastermind behind this evil plot. "_I'm_ still using it …"

"Tirant?"

"… but you can have it when I'm done …" continued the bald megalomaniac smugly. "You are right, Gina … this is a ship, and _I_ am the Captain now! Its advanced systems and sensors are under _my_ command! And my security force doesn't like it when the passengers mutiny" As Tirant spoke, several metal orbs emerged from the shadows, some with spidery legs, and the rest floating without any visible means of support. They immediately took up defensive positions before the Command Throne, and those orbs possessing legs opened up by spreading their shells in six parts, revealing energy weapons beneath. "… as for G'Nolga … she is merely the recipient of the ships "away-team defence matrix" … I'm afraid that Julia is in for the beating of her _life_ this time! You cannot save her!"

"Looks like we have to fight …" sighed Ranma. Though he loved the thrill of battle, with his loved ones there, the risk of any of them getting injured or worse was too high for him to enjoy.

"At least you won't do so alone!" a powerful voice added from behind them.

Standing there, was Onoli and the rest of the Edge Guard, weapons drawn and held threateningly. Taking their cue, most of Gina's team did the same.

"Prepare yourself, _Tirant_!" continued Onoli grandly. "For now, there will be a reckoning!"

Movement behind the Edge Guard caught Ranma's eye, and he turned towards it to see the rest of the mages that had been on the ship enter, prepared for battle.

"Don't forget _us_, Onoli," said Nali sternly.

"Tirant, it's time _you_ learned the folly of infuriating _Jade's magic users_!" added a man that looked more like a bowling pin with glasses and sleeves attached to it than a person. Next to him was a very short person cracking his knuckles.

"Bring it _on_!" Tirant stated smugly, gesturing with a hand for them to do as he suggested.

The battle begun, but wasn't as much in the favour of the organic beings as they had thought … no spell they cast had any effect on the orbs, and their weapons did nothing to even scratch them.

With one pulse of bright purple energy, the magic users and Edge Guards were pushed to the ground in a rumbling blast.

The only ones remaining on their feet were Ranma and Tirant.

Tirant looked surprised at Ranma, who had not been effected by the weapon other than buffeting his clothes.

Ranma, on the other hand, was too occupied with his girlfriends, who had _gotten hurt_.

While it was nothing serious in any case, only a couple of bruises and scratches, it made Ranma angrier than he could ever remember being. Gina had been the only one not injured, but only because her personal shield was set to activate automatically. She was still shaken, but unhurt. _That_ did not change anything for Ranma, though.

Tirant had **hurt** those he **loved**.

_He _– _would _- _**pay**_.

A chilling flame ignited behind Ranma's eyes, visible even from the Command Throne across the room, and the temperature seemed to drop considerably, despite the onboard computer's attempts at regulating it.

Not far from where Ranma had been, Dr Diggers also lost his cool, so to speak, and fired a concentrated Aura Beam at Tirant … it passed right through him … he wasn't _real_. He was an illusion!

This did nothing to quench Ranma's cool anger, it added to it. How _dare_ that man injure the women he loved, who loved him back, and not even be _present_ to take the punishment for it?

Ranma ignored the gloating speech the bald man made as he approached the raised platform in a controlled stride. At some time, though no one would be able to tell exactly when, Ranma shifted to hybrid form as he approached his destination.

When Ranma was within a few feet of the platform, the orbs took notice of him, and automatically moved in to defend the Command Throne.

Simultaneously, the orbs, both airborne and legged, opened fire on Ranma, only, Ranma wasn't there to get struck.

Out of nowhere, Ranma appeared crouching on an orb with spider legs.

The shrill sound of metal giving way under stress tortured the ears of everyone present as Ranma's clawed fingers sunk into the orb, tearing it open in a manner the orb had never been designed to be opened.

Once again, the orbs opened fire, but once more missed Ranma completely, instead striking their fellow orb and causing it to explode with enough force to once again knock everyone down, though this time only from the wall of displaced air pressing them away from their original position.

Ranma appeared before another orb, with one hand on each side.

Before anyone could blink, Ranma was gone, and the orb fell to the ground … as flat as a pancake, but nowhere near as appealing with its electronic guts spilling out along the edges.

There was no playfulness in Ranma's style of fighting any longer … he was dead serious, as he proved by repeating the previous crushing and using it as a discus to destroy another, and when he pulled the leg off one to slam another into a third one. A legged one lost one part of its shell, and had it shoved into its plasma weapon, causing a build-up of energy to be unleashed from within, leading to another explosion.

Ranma was now brutally economical with his movements, and deadly accurate in his strikes. He was a whirlwind of destruction that was neither stopped by energy blasts nor physical attacks by the orbs.

From the platform and the room in general, Ranma's slaughter of the machines was watched in awe, but Tirant was starting to get frightened.

"Bain!" he screamed. "Activate Energy Drain on this werecat mage!"

Once again, Ranma found himself encased in a pale blue glow, the whining noise once more reminding him of a flashbulb charging for its release. And once again, nothing happened to Ranma, who used his vacuum-tipped claws to shred an orb into tiny bits that fell lightly on the ground.

"Why isn't it _working_?" demanded Tirant desperately.

" Subject possesses no link to the Astral Plane, but relies on a strictly regulated internal source of power, " explained a calm, robotic female voice. " Subject is not accessible for draining … "

"How can that be?" a fearful Tirant demanded. "He wears the mage suit, and his abilities and species suggest a connection to the Astral Plane!"

" All systems deactivated, " answered the voice.

"_WHAT_?"

"Oh, didn't you want me to take over control of the ship?" Gina asked in mock apology. "I just thought you wouldn't mind, since you were busy, and in no physical state to stop me …"

-Tinkle!-Clank-Clank!-

The sound of metal falling down caused all attention to return to Ranma.

Not a single orb remained, legged or floating.

Standing amid the wreckage was Ranma, without as much as a speck of dust on him, and still not any less enraged.

Without a link to Bain, the projected image of Tirant fizzled into nothing.

While Ranma now had no focus for his anger, he knew that somewhere outside this ship, the real fiend was cowering and he intended to hunt the man down and put the fear in him of whatever torturous afterlife he believed in.

He suddenly noticed a huge screen, showing the battle between Julia and G'Nolga.

It was clear that in their absence, G'Nolga had given Julia quite a beating. The destruction in the Arena and the injuries on the tall redhead that had been thrown around showed as much. But now the tables had turned, and G'Nolga was getting her just dessert.

Everyone in the room had forgotten about Ranma's terrifying show of power, in favour of watching the cheating dwarven woman getting punished for her evil ways. As it was obvious who would win, cheering and encouraging shouts started emerging.

"Could you please get us out of here, Gina," Ranma ground out, visibly trying to reign in his anger. "I would like to finish what I started, and if I am forced to track the bastard down, he'll stand the chance of getting _killed_."

Gina did not protest, recognising the feral look from those times Britanny had thought Stryyp had been hurt and knowing it would be impossible to reason him out of his quest for vengeance until he was certain there was no way for him to complete said quest, or had completed it. Now that she thought about it, this was pretty much standard operating procedure when the purchasing of tuna was concerned as well … werecats, go figure.

While Gina started typing away on her computer to get them all out of Bain, the rest of those in the room cheered as one, causing the two on the platform to look to the screen just in time to witness Julia sinking to her knees and raising her arm in the traditional show of victory as the crowds in the Arena roared and cheered as well.

Julia had won.

She was once more the Arms-Master of Jade, and her name was cleared of dishonour.

* * *

It took a few minutes for Gina to manage transporting everyone off the ship, but as soon as they all materialised in the ruined room that Brianna had blown a hole through, Ranma ignored his discomforts from the trip and started looking for Tirant.

Unfortunately, or fortunately for Tirant, the only person in the room was that off bespectacled man with a grey stripe in his black hair.

"Worry not, my friends," the man greeted them merrily, if not smugly. "The _villains_ are now in the hands of the _proper_ authorities-"

-Crunch!-

The man spared a moment from his speech to witness Ranma slamming his head into the wall in frustration, causing that part of the wall to cave in and shower everyone in a light coating of dust, but leaving no visible damage to him.

"However," continued the man. "You must all still _hurry_!" Ranma looked up expectantly, hoping for someone to let his frustrations out on. "Julia's _victory celebration_ is about to start, and she's beginning to wonder where her husband and daughters are … not to mention their companions …"

-Crash!-

Everyone faltered in their celebratory moods to watch as Ranma pounded the ground with his fists, creating a deep and wide hole to appear in the dense stone it was made of.

The performance was repeated for nearly a minute until Ranma was nearly eight feet deep in floor, with bloodied fists and panting from the effort of calming down.

Of course, his fists were healed again before he chose to emerge from the hole he had pounded into the ground, but the blood still coated his hands and clung to his fur.

"Perhaps it would be better if we took a _short cut_ I know of," suggested Dr Diggers. The sparkle of energy coming from his hands suggested that he was making a portal, and the group was not let down when one sprung into life, showing the tavern they stayed at on the other end.

The festive mood of the people of the town was obvious as several drunken men and women staggered past the portal without paying it any heed.

Ranma wasn't much in the mood to celebrate, and was about to voice this to his girlfriends when he felt a pair of arms encircle his chest from behind, and a modest set of breasts pressing against his shoulders. Another pair of arms wrapped themselves around his waist, and another set of breasts pressed against his side. This was repeated until he had a woman clinging to his back, his sides and his arms, pouring love and soothing words over him.

Needless to say, Ranma's foul mood was washed away in an instant, and he followed Dr Diggers through the portal, his girlfriends still clinging to him.

The last thing he thought before hitting the swirling vortex of energy, was how lucky he had been, falling in love with all these lovely women, and having them return his feelings. He felt like he could take on the world, simply from how strong the emotion was that energised him. But he was still terrified that something might happen to any one of his girlfriends … whosoever was the cause of any pain inflicted on them would have to face him … and if that day had been any hint of things to come, it wasn't likely that that person would survive the encounter.

* * *

Author's notes; I am sorry, once again for the late update, life is very hectic at the moment, what with relatives leaving the country to celebrate Christmas with other members of the family who live abroad, friends returning from University that want to spend time with me, annoying siblings that start their Christmas holidays by remaining up at all hours of the day and are as hyper about it as a hummingbird on steroids and caffeine … I am also, admittedly, writing plot outlines for other fanfictions, ideas that I want to get down before my departure for an unknown period of time … so that I will not forget them while my mind is occupied with other things.

I am curious … could someone out there, just to enlighten me, tell me what classes are taught, normally, at American and Japanese High Schools? I think some of my ideas, currently on ice, could really benefit from this information, and I don't know where to search for it on the net … so who better to ask than those that might know? You don't have to answer for both countries unless you really know, but I'd really appreciate it if I got the classes over message through my profile.

Another little odd thing, just thought I'd mention it … despite my slow updates these past few months, my average still comes out to a little less than an update a week … it's been a little over eight months since I started, and with thirty-three chapters under my belt, that makes the average a little less than one chapter a week … maybe three and a quarter a month … strange, right?

Finally, I'd like to remind my readers of what the purpose of my "small writing tip" is … it is simply to illustrate words that are often mistaken for one another, and clarify their meaning and purpose. In case anyone are curious, I decided to add this reminder because I recently got a message asking me the reason behind the seemingly incoherent tips, even though they thought them a good idea.

Credits: The scenes with the various factions were added by suggestions from TerraBull

Small writing tip; "Believe" and "Belief". "Belief" is a feeling of certainty that something exists, is true, or is good. If you "Believe" that something is true, you think it is true, but you are not sure. While these two are similar to one another in both meaning and spelling, they are often confused … several authors on the net often confuse these two.

Second writing tip; supplied by Sierra-Falls "Clam" and "Calm". A "Calm" person does not show or feel any worry, anger or excitement. "Calm" is used to refer to a quiet, still, or peaceful atmosphere in a place. "Clams" are a kind of shellfish which can be eaten.

Third writing tip (a one-time thing that I felt was urgent); "Fell" and "Feel". If you "Feel" a particular emotion or physical sensation, you experience it. "Fell" the past tense of the verb to "Fall".


	34. Chapter 34

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

Nestled in the quaint little suburbs in the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia, we find the home of Gina, Brianna and Britanny Diggers … the last mentioned Diggers sister was currently in a strange situation.

As per usual, every few days Penny would bring her bodyguard, Charlotte, over for lessons in how to fight … that day was such a day, but the situation was nowhere near the same as it usually was.

Sure, Penny immediately took a seat to observe that she got her money's worth, like she always did when she chose to do so, which was not all that often, as she didn't find fighting interesting enough to watch and thus training to fight would not be all that fun.

Sure, Britanny had prepared for the lesson in her usual way, which was really just to play it by ear. But this had worked very well thus far, so she wasn't the least bit ashamed for not trying to figure out a better lesson plan.

Sure, Charlotte was as eager as usual, bouncing in place while wearing the padding on head and hands. Learning how to protect her boss and caregiver was one of the things that she really put her all into, and she enjoyed getting stronger and better, which was the reason she was bouncing, because her childlike levels of energy and enthusiasm could not be contained properly.

However, Charlotte was not her usual physical self, nor was she dressed the same.

What the excited harpy was wearing was a bright pink maternity dress that ended just before the knees.

However odd this would have looked, Britanny wouldn't have put it past Charlotte to wear it simply because she liked the colour, regardless of what style the clothes were, or if the clothes had a specific occasion. But in this case, the clothes looked to fit the occasion, as Charlotte's belly was protruding much like a pregnant woman in her third trimester.

It was because of this that Britanny had been flabbergasted.

"Er …"

"Ask away," sighed Penny. "I know _I_ would …"

"Why did you let her _gorge_ herself on nuts again?" Britanny blurted. "You _knew_ she had her _final test_ today!"

"I haven't let her near any sort of peanut, hazelnut or walnut since the incident with Dark Bird," protested Penny.

Indeed, that episode had been very nerve-racking. During the dogfight between a Boeing 477 and a cargo plane with missiles, and rail guns, Charlotte had eaten enough peanuts and pretzels to make her stomach bulge and give her a severe case of abdominal pains, which caused a passenger doctor to jump to the conclusion that she was going into labour and because she had been given insufficient information about the birds and the bees, she exclaimed that she wanted a baby, because she believed she was having one based on what the doctor told her. The doctor interpreted the desire as a wish to keep the baby, and shared this news with the entire plane … when they landed Charlotte had become deeply disappointed when Penny had explained that she was not having a baby, but had simply eaten too much, and the doctor was disappointed because he had missed out on a chance to deliver what he believed to be the greatest medical discovery in the century, the birth of a semi-human by another semi-human.

"Then, what's wrong with her?" asked Britanny.

"She got knocked up, is what's wrong with her," Penny muttered. "She doesn't want to tell me who the father is … wants to tell _him_ first."

"She's _WHAT_?"

"I mean, she's knocked up, pregnant, gravid, has a bun in the oven, she is expectant, preggers, in the family way, with child, spawning, breeding-"

"STOP! I get it!" interrupted Britanny, shaking her hands desperately, hoping to end what promised to become a long recital of synonyms. "But she can't fight in _her condition_, something could happen to the baby."

"Oh!" Charlotte exclaimed. "Wait!"

With excited hands, Charlotte pulled the maternity dress over her head, revealing her usual outfit of a green one-piece bathing suit with a diamond shape cut out at her abundant cleavage. What was strange was that the bathing suit was not filled out like it should be with a pregnant woman … there was instead a large pouch strapped to her abdomen, which was making the bulge on the dress.

Carefully, and with a mother's touch, Charlotte handed the pouch over to Penny, who apparently knew what she was supposed to do, namely keep it close, keep it safe and keep it warm … _or else_.

Charlotte took a moment to make sure Penny had gotten it right before nodding and skipping back onto the mat, where she bounced in place.

Britanny was once more stunned into momentary silence.

Why hadn't she expected this before? Charlotte was as much a mammal as she was an avian, why hadn't she considered the possibility of her student having avian traits in the later stages of her reproduction process?

Clearly, the shell would have had to have been softer and more elastic when it was forced from Charlotte, because she had not shown any signs of discomfort or lingering pain usually associated with mothers who just recently pushed an entire little person from their uterus through an opening that only through great pain and tearing of flesh was able to just barely accommodate them. No, Charlotte was as healthy and cheerful as always, if not with an added glow of expectancy, not unlike a child the day before Christmas, knowing there is at least one _great_ present waiting for them.

The egg must simply have hardened and thickened after being expelled from the womb, forming the shape it was at that moment.

Ever since that dogfight, Charlotte _had_ gotten somewhat wistful, thinking about having a baby of her own, but lacking the manpower to get one. She had asked several strangers, but most of them had literally run away screaming from her bluntness … sure, hardly any man would pass up the first part of the process, but it was the rest that scared the wits out of them, because it more or less sealed them in a life they had not been prepared for … the only one Britanny could recall hadn't run away was Ranma when Charlie asked him at the Explorer's Society Banquet, who had after the initial shock told her in a kind tone that he wasn't ready for such a commitment, but maybe he would be at a later date.

"Come _on_!" exclaimed an impatient Charlotte. "Let's begin!"

Snapping out of her thoughts, Britanny raised her guard. She could ask more questions later.

"Okay, Charlie," she started seriously. "It's time to pass the test and get your _official_ Cheetah's School of Martial Arts, genuine Gucca, a$#-kickin' gloves! Just like the ones I wear!" this last was added in a chirpy tone, denoting affection for the articles of clothing.

Charlotte cheered in excitement. She had been looking forward to getting those gloves as proof of her being a good bodyguard since Britanny introduced the idea to her.

"I reserve _my_ judgement until I've seen the results," muttered Penny from the sidelines … however, uncharacteristic of her personality, Charlotte sent a quick glare at her to make Penny resume her duties as the human incubator. Penny couldn't help but squeak and reinforced her efforts to keep the egg warm through the pack and padding surrounding the egg.

"Well, I'll be going extra hard on Charlie-girl today just to show you how much she's improved," assured Britanny. "Ready, grasshopper?"

With a surprisingly vigilant nod, Charlotte raised her arms in preparation for their use.

Britanny started the spar with an overhead swing of her fist. Her elbow was blocked by Charlotte's forearm.

A high-speed elbow to the chest was stopped by both of Charlotte's forearms raised in a cross for bracing.

"Are you gonna block all day, Charlie, or are we gonna-"

-Ker-Biff!-

Britanny didn't even see the gloved fist before it struck her nose with enough force to instantly bruise said facial protrusion.

While she was in pain, Britanny did an excellent job of keeping her composure.

"Okay, Miss _Lucky Punch_! Time to turn up the heat!" exclaimed the bruised werecheetah. "Please excuse my **speed**!"

-Biff!-Baf!-Baf!-

Contrary to Britanny's promise, it wasn't _her_ that dished out the pain, it was Charlotte who three more consecutive times landed single-handed punches on the exact same spot as the first, and with enough blunt force to stagger the spotted woman and colour the bruising even more distinctly through the fur on her face. And it had all taken place before Britanny even managed to wind up her fists for the promised pain.

"_WHY YOU_!" Britanny screamed in anger, forgetting that she was supposed to be the understanding sensei.

-Biff!-Baf!-

"_OOO YOU'RE GETTIN' IT_!"

"_Time out_!" called Penny from her seat, which she dared not leave because of the look Charlotte had sent her earlier.

"WHAT?"

"I think we all need a time out," announced Penny as cheerfully as she could. "Especially you, Cheetah …"

Said werecheetah snorted as she tried reigning in her anger and patch up her bruised ego.

"I must say, Charlie," continued Penny kindly. "I see an extraordinary improvement in your coordination, speed and technique … far beyond my expectations …" she added. "Kudos to you, Britanny! You've actually taught Charlie _how to defend herself_! And very well, I might add …"

"Oh, yeah …" agreed the already healed Britanny uncertainly. "That means I'm a good "sensei," doesn't it."

Charlotte, on the other hand was very excited, and couldn't help but make an exclamation.

"Does this mean I've earned my _butt-kickin' _gloves?"

To the harpy's glee, Britanny produced the green three-fingered gloves specially made for her, as the lack of fingers testified to.

"Here you go, Charlie-girl," said Britanny proudly now that she'd gotten a better perspective of what her previous pain meant. "Your very own _tailor made_ "buttkickin'" gloves … the equivalent of two dozen _black belts_ in kung fu!"

Charlotte could not contain a squeal of excitement as she accepted them.

"Wear 'em proud!" Britanny added to sound dramatic.

For a moment, Charlotte lost herself in daydreams of beating the snot out of Peewee's minions and Penny exclaiming that Charlotte was the _bestest_ bodyguard ever … but when she came out of it and wore the gloves, she jumped Britanny in what could uncannily resemble an Amazon glomp.

"Oh, Britanny!" squealed the harpy happily. "Thank you for making me _tough_ and _strong_!"

"Hey, take it easy kiddo!" laughed the werecheetah. "And besides, you earned it …"

Charlotte skipped away from the embrace to strap the "egg pouch" back around her stomach, taking extra care not to be too rough with it now that she had confirmed that she was stronger than before. After all, what padding was in it could only shield so much before any outside force passed through to the egg.

When the egg was back in place, the maternity dress was pulled back on, and smoothed out … no one would be able to tell that she had a large egg under there, unless they snuck a peak, not a swollen belly.

"Well, come along, _bodyguard_," chirped Penny as she started into the hallway. "We've got appointments to keep today …"

Before Charlotte managed to answer, a swirling green portal sprung into being before them, depositing the rest of the Diggers family, and their guests.

"We're here," announced Dr Diggers needlessly, but focused more on his wife than anyone else … and considering that she was in his arms, carried bridal style … that was not a bad thing.

"Oh, hi Brit'!" greeted Julia Diggers from her comfortable position. The bandages around her head, the sling her right arm was in and all the Band-Aids covering her visible flesh did nothing to display good health.

"Thanks for the lift, dad," said Gina, sporting her usual clothes, which looked a tad rumpled. "We've got it from here."

"Say hello to the newest Weapons-Master of Jade!" cheered Brianna, making sure to squeeze Ranma a little extra to show whom she spoke of.

"You're back! You're- wait … _Mom didn't win_?" asked Britanny, shocked.

"Sure she did!" assured Gina. "She's regained her honour and the title of Arms-Master of Jade! We'll give you every detail later, but it's been a long night, and we all just want to get some sleep, right?"

"Oh, dibs on cuddling with Ranma this time!" interrupted Lydia before any of the others could agree with the only human in the harem.

"No fair," complained Sheila. "You've had him since before he came back to Jade! Let the _new girl_ have some intimate time with him!"

"Hanza isn't attracted to men," commented Beebee. "She isn't even a part of our little "Harem" so why should she get to spend the night with him?"

"I was talking about _me_!" Sheila corrected.

"Settle down, _ladies_," interrupted Brianna before things got out of hand. "There's no need to fight, we already set up a sched- hey, who fed Charlotte with nuts? I thought we weren't supposed to …"

"No, silly," snickered Charlotte, suddenly blushing. "It's my _baby_!"

"What?" was the general question.

"Are you sure?" was another question asked, which was reasonable due to previous misunderstandings.

"Who's the father?" was the question Julia sensibly asked.

"Ranma is the daddy," was the giggled answer to the last question.

Silence.

One could have heard a tiny wad of cotton hitting another from a short distance in the deafening silence that followed the answer.

Ranma, who was by no means prepared for this, did what any other man would have done in his situation … he took a spontaneous nap without lying down first, but wasn't roused by his impact with the ground, proving that when he wanted a nap, no force could wake him.

* * *

In a dark cell, Tirant was brooding over his defeat.

It wasn't the tall, strong and dark Weapons-Master that had him this inwardly focused, but the werecat that shredded Bain's Security System with as much ease as most people _blink_.

Speaking of blinking, Tirant couldn't help but do so when he returned to his cell from his wandering mind.

Where were his restraints?

Before he started brooding, his arms had been locked in place behind his back with a sort of energy restraints that held his arms in place while forming a cross on the front and back.

Where were his cellmates?

G'Nolga and Array had shared his cell, and he had not heard anything about them being moved to another cell.

And since when was the outside of the cell darker than outer space? Before, light had poured from the cracks in the door, and the barred window across from the cell, but now, there looked to be nothing but the cell in the entire world.

-Boom!-

The sound of a large door slamming shut caused Tirant to turn around.

Nothing could be seen beyond the bars of his cell, but he still got the distinct feeling that he was being watched … much in the same way a mouse must feel when it knows there is a python nearby, waiting for the right moment to spring into action.

While nothing could be seen, Tirant knew that _something_ was out there _somewhere_ … watching him.

A metallic tinkle, like that of chains rustling, caused Tirant to turn again, and yet again, nothing was seen apart from the scant remnants of a set of chains that were attached to the wall.

This was getting nerve-racking. Whatever this was, it must have already gotten Array and G'Nolga. It was the only possible way those two could have been removed from the cell.

A snort from behind him made Tirant turn quickly again to find nothing.

What had the Northern Edge Guard let in there with him?

Was this some sort of psychological torture to make him pay for his participation in the plot to disgrace the Arms-Master and take over the Realm?

Why did the cell suddenly get that much hotter? Even summers in Florida didn't get this hot!

Suddenly, a sharp pain raked across his right shoulder.

Four thin, deep lines of blood started trickling through the four neatly cut gashes in his robe.

Instinctively, Tirant brought his left hand to stop the bleeding of the paper-thin cuts. Looking at the wounds, he was amazed, through the stinging pain flooding his mind, at how much blood was seeping through his fingers, soaking into his clothes and dripping onto the stone floor.

Even now, the cell was empty apart from the injured Tirant.

The pain was slowly dulling, one of the advantaged of having experienced a lot of pain during his days as a teenage superhero with his parents before their meaningless and anonymous deaths. He had experienced pain before, and thus was able to tone it out after a while. But this kind of terror had never plagued him before, even by the villain that killed his parents and turned him away from the life of a crime-fighter.

A gust of cool air blew through the cell, blissfully chilling Tirant's face to a more tolerable level.

Immediately following this gust of wind, pain blossomed from his other arm.

"Aaargh!" Tirant screamed in agony as the pain of a nearly completely mangled arm flooded his mind.

A deep growl sounded from behind, immediately drowning out the torturous screams of his nerve endings, and Tirant turned only to find himself face-to-face with the source of his previous brooding … only a hair's width away, and a burning fury behind his eyes.

Tirant was terrified beyond reason. Standing before him was the werecat that had torn through the Bain Security System like they weren't even a threat … the werecat that was completely unaffected by the Power Drain … the werecat that distracted him enough to let that _blasted_ Gina Diggers tear control of the ship from him. There were one or two subtle differences. First off, the fire behind the werecat's eyes was visible through them and had to be what heated the cell, and then the dark pants the werecat wore seemed more tattered and singed, revealing the black mage suit beneath.

Tirant _wanted_ to flee, to get as far away from this creature as possible … but fear had him frozen in place, completely immobilised and unable to feel the pain in his arms.

"_You_ - _**hurt**_ - _THEM_!"

Tirant was barely able to make any sense of what the creature growled, being mostly out of his mind with fear, but after the statement had been repeated a few times, the message sunk in … along with several more _shallow_ gashes cut into him along his torso.

"Gurk!"

Albeit not articulate, this was the only thing Tirant was able to say when the werecat grabbed him by the neck and lifted him into the air, a remarkable feat considering Tirant towered over the werecat by at least a foot and a half and hardly even looked like he was strong enough to carry a grudge. How the creature managed to appear face-to-face with him in the first place was even a mystery with their height difference.

Futilely, Tirant tried to claw his way out of the grasp on his neck, but the hand wouldn't budge and didn't even seem to take any damage. The same held true for the kicks Tirant managed to get in while struggling to break free … it was like kicking and scratching an iron statue.

What had become a mantra for the werecat was repeated once more, with more conviction and force as the free hand wound up for a punch … only what was normally a fist was formed like a spear.

Faster than the eye could follow, the spear-hand shot for Tirant's chest.

This was it … the werecat would tear him apart like he had done the orbs of Bain, starting with his heart … there was no salvation, only death …

* * *

"Gah!"

Tirant shot up from where he had been resting against the bars that made up their cell.

His face, and the rest of him, was soaked in sweat, and every part of him that had gotten injured by the werecat still throbbed. He was confused, scared and breathing hard.

"It was a dream …" he finally breathed in relief as he felt the cool breeze from the open, barred window wash over him. "A _nightmare_ …"

"So you had a bad dream, Tirant," muttered G'Nolga sullenly from her corner of the cell. "That's no reason to get your panties in a bunch … just _stop talking_ … I shouldn't have _listened_ to you in the first place when you told me of your plans …"

"Was it the death of your parents, again?" asked Array, trying to console her boyfriend with a hug … a difficult feat considering all their arms had been secured to their backs with two bands of energy crisscrossing over their back and front while holding their arms to prevent leverage.

Array had asked because it happened on occasion that Tirant awoke during the night from seeing his parents die at the hand of a madman again.

"No," admitted Tirant reluctantly … it wasn't very manly to reveal weaknesses about himself, but the secret was out, so there was no harm in making sure those that knew were correctly informed. "It was that _damned werecat_ … if that is what he _truly_ is …"

"What else would he be?" snapped G'Nolga. "You saw him, he was covered in fur and had feline characteristics including a tail and sharp ears … _so strong_ … so … _manly_ …"

"He tore through those drones like they were mist!" argued Tirant. "Even the strongest of the magic users couldn't put a scratch on them, and the werelion wasn't able to do the same with his weapons! He's not supposed to be able to do what he did unless-" Tirant paused in his rant to think over what he had been about to say. "… unless he is a God, or has one of the other Arcs …"

"He couldn't be," Array argued gently. "If he was a divine creature, he would not intervene in mortal affairs, least of all in such a blatant display as the one you described … and if he had one of the other Arcs, would he have bothered allowing the others to do all the work in finding the Command Throne? He could just have transported everyone into his own Arc and transported them back into the real world with a thought … he would have given his group that thing you gave G'Nolga, or that armour you gave Hanza!"

"Not necessarily …" protested Tirant in a pondering tone. "He could have made himself appear weaker to make others around him drop their guard around him, then accessed the Power of the Arc when he felt he had to … oh, this _creature_ is a _genius_ at military strategy … there is simply no other explanation …"

"… so strong …" muttered G'Nolga in a dreamy tone from her corner, having a faraway look on her face.

"Talking about our newest Weapons-Master, I hear …" commented a smooth voice from the door.

Thropan the werepanther entered the room and stayed out of arms' reach of the cell.

"Just remember that any _confessions_ you make now will be admissible as evidence …" he continued. "As for your comfort, this cell is only temporary."

"_That_'s a relief," commented Array sarcastically.

"I wouldn't think so …" Thropan corrected. "We're transferring you to Jade's Maximum Security this afternoon. -"

"_WHAT_?"

"- The Council isn't too happy with your attempting to conquer the realm," Thropan continued without paying attention to the violent outburst from all the inmates. "Not to mention your kidnapping of all those Mages to drain their powers …"

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to contest that, Thropan," interrupted a voice from the door. Entering the jail was none other than the Sheriff of Seer's Hamlet, accompanied of the Magistrate that was responsible for imprisoning Brianna for her destructive rampage while trying to reign in her _dark side_, Grave Diggers. Neither looked pleased, as opposed to the pink-haired woman in the cell, who looked positively smug. "Seer's Hamlet and the Arena of Apex Rock are under _my_ jurisdiction. I am Sheriff Ranis, this is Magistrate Corsica, and your _prisoners_ belong to _us_!"

"As outlined in the Edge Guard Charter and Protocol _by-laws_," added Magistrate Corsica.

"Attempting to remove them without _our_ say so is an unlawful act!" continued Sheriff Ranis, the one responsible for the Northern Edge Guard's most recent duties as garbage men. "You Edge Guard are just _that_ close to us hauling you in for obstructing justice … However, we _may_ see our way to being _lenient_ if you co-operate and turn your prisoners over to us … We'll let you renegades _off_ with a "small" _fine_ …"

"Too bad," commented Array smugly from the cell. "Better luck next time …"

Thropan, however, did not look at all disappointed or angry … he adopted a smug look as well.

"Ahhh, Sheriff Ranis," he said. "I've been _expecting_ you …"

-Crash!-

"Sorry, Thropan!" called the innocent voice of Raphiel from the floor where he had tripped over the threshold into the jail, scattering a dozen scrolls before him. The pseudo-werecheetah hurriedly picked the scrolls up and handed them to Sheriff Ranis. "These are for you," he added sheepishly.

"What is _this_?" asked the Sheriff, outraged at the blatant disobedience she saw in Thropan, and also referring to the scrolls she had just been handed.

"Normally, you would have been correct, Sheriff," explained Thropan. "_Normally_ … Those papers Raphiel handed to you are copies of documents I submitted to the Council of Elders a short time ago …They are records of the activities of your office during our missions. While _not_ condemning, they _were_ just _suspicious_ enough to suspend your _authority_ pending the results of a fact finding commission."

"**_I'm being investigated_**?" screamed Sheriff Ranis in disbelief as she read through one scroll.

"As you can see, we have _full_ accounts of your office's activities," continued Thropan. "Including how your officers and deputies were _conveniently_ diverted away when G'Nolga and her goons were _kidnapping victims_ … almost as though you were co-ordinating … co-ordinating to capture as many magic users as possible … for some plan involving the artefact "Bain" …"

"How did you get these figures?" asked Ranis shakily as she looked through the papers.

"Not so fast, Thropan," interrupted Magistrate Corsica, trying to keep her nervous sweat at a minimum. "We still have a trump card … Several eye witnesses has seen you collaborate with a _known_ escaped felon, namely Brianna Diggers … submitting _our_ evidence to the Council would provoke an investigation into _your_ affairs … and seeing as our interests conflict, _your_ authority would be suspended as well!"

The pair of pink-haired women smirked, knowing that they now had the Nrothern Edge Guard by the proverbial balls.

Thropan surprised the cell once more by remaining confident and smug.

"I suspected you would use Brianna as a fulcrum to _lever_ your way out of this," stated Thropan. "True, we have harboured a felon … and that nullifies _our_ authority in this. Our conflicts of interest restrict us from acting against each other _legally_ … which means the next nearest authority _steps in_ …"

"_And that would be me _…" finished a firm, booming voice from the doorway, where stood none other than Julia's mother, "Mumsey."

"Allow me to introduce the Chariwoman of the _conveniently_ nearby Barbarian Clan," said a smug Thropan. "Brunhilda Garde-Brigand."

"_HOLD ON A MINUTE_!" protested Ranis, who realised that their trump card wasn't worth a thing, and wanted to prolong the arrival of the next replacement authority. "She's Brianna's grandmother! If anyone has a conflict of interest in this case, it's _her_!"

"Family in the Barbarian Clan does not curry special favour from our laws, _dear_," Brunhilda pointed out sternly, folding her massive arms over her equally massive chest, making a very imposing image as she towered over the smaller people. "Your statement is _groundless_ for me."

"She's got a point," agreed Thropan. "The Barbarian Clan's track record of _strict_ adherence to the laws stands up for itself … I'm afraid you're stuck, ladies."

"You needn't concern yourself with Brianna," added Brunhilda with the poker-face she had worn for her stay in this jail. "She already _paid_ her debt for helping to damage a _town_ by helping to save the _entire Realm_. As for the _criminals_, I have no room for them in my territories. Thropan will see them to the Retreat's _Maximum Security_ …"

"But-" Ranis tried to protest, only to be cut off by the elder woman, Brunhilda.

"That is all …"

"I think we're done here," commented Thropan. "Don't you, Sheriff?"

"Oh, no," growled Ranis in restrained anger. "You _haven't_ heard the last of this, Thropan. We promise! This is _not_ over!"

"You're correct," Thropan agreed in a serious tone. "And it will not be "over" until I prove the existence of a group of women who not only share the same goal … but the same _mind_ and _soul_ as well … an "Array" of women. Only _then_ will it be over …"

"This is very entertaining …" Raphiel could not help but comment from where he was watching the scene unfold before him, on a chair in the far corner of the room. "I wish I had some popcorn …"

* * *

"Ugh … what hit me?"

Ranma carefully sat up, head in hands in an attempt at rubbing away the headache he suddenly suffered.

He absently noted that he was on a bed … however, he could not feel much beyond the sheets, and the soft bed and his nakedness could only mean he had had a busy night with his girlfriends again, leading him to believe that the glimpses of a pregnant Charlotte was nothing but a nightmare … after all, he could not remember having seen the harpy _naked_, much less had _sex_ with her, so she couldn't possibly have gotten pregnant with his child, right? Well, no sense in trying to rationalise a nightmare, because it was only that and wouldn't affect him in the real world.

"The floor," commented Lydia from somewhere next to him. "You fainted."

"I never faint!" protested Ranma … after all, it wasn't _manly_ to faint. At least the headache was fading. "I just … decided to take a nap." A moment passed before Ranma's wit caught up with him. "_Why_ did I decide to take a nap?"

"It probably had something to do with your _cheating_ on us with Charlotte, an act that produced this," explained Lydia in a tone that did nothing to suggest resentment or anger as she lifted what appeared to be a large egg onto the bed. "Ranma, meet your first child."

"Wha-" Ranma's wit left him again momentarily at this revelation. If this was his child, then why did Charlotte look as she did? She looked radiant … there was no trace of smugness about her, no indication that she would try to force him into marrying her for the sake of their child … she looked happy at the prospect of having a baby soon. Had Charlotte been one of his old fiancées, he was certain that she would have used the baby as the perfect excuse to marry him and lord it over the other girls that _she_ had won. There was no indication that she had done this at any point.

"I think it would be better if the mother explained the details," commented Gina from Ranma's other side. Ranma looked around to find all his girlfriends sitting around his bed, and Charlotte perching on the foot of the bed. "Go ahead, Charlie, tell him what you told us."

Charlotte, though glowing like any other mother-to-be, looked somewhat unsure about the other women, and wringed her taloned hands for a moment before starting, taking care not to damage what looked like a new set of fingerless gloves with only three fingers on each hand.

Because Ranma's mind was still somewhat upset, he only caught the highlights of how he came to become the father of the baby inside the egg.

It had been little less than a week ago. Charlotte had heard Ranma was back from Japan, and would go to Jade the next day. She had seen a movie that night, where this woman was having a baby, and being easily influenced by external sources wanted one of her own, so she had sought out the only man who hadn't outright rejected her request for the job of a father of her baby. Ranma had been asked during the Banquet, and he had only said that he wasn't ready to be a father at that time … give that he hadn't rejected her, Charlotte had decided to check if he was ready then.

She had visited Ranma's room that night, and found him very drowsy and muttering to himself.

Charlotte had asked Ranma if he was awake, and got a muttered reply she couldn't make out, but interpreted as a yes. The Question had then been asked, and in response, Ranma had rolled onto his back, pulling at the sheets enough to reveal his wedding tackle, which was pointing at the ceiling. Again, interpreting this as a yes, Charlotte decided that since he seemed so tired, she should do all the work. When the deed was done, she had cleaned herself up, done the same to Ranma, as he seemed to have sweated quite a bit, and gave him a quick peck before leaving, as a thank-you for cooperating with her.

Ranma's head was spinning.

Why didn't he remember any of this?

Then he remembered the morning after the incident that led to the egg Lydia had handed him. He had awoken feeling refreshed and clean … two things that didn't necessarily come from sleep … and speaking of sleep, he _did_ have a very _vivid_ dream that night, about the women that had become his girlfriends having their way with him, much like when he thought he had lost his virginity … could it be …?

"Charlie," Ranma started carefully. "I think there is a distinct possibility that I was asleep when you … er, _visited_ me that night."

"Huh?"

"I remember waking up in the morning after a very good dream, but without the need for release that usually follows …" Ranma explained. "And I can't remember the events you describe … but, I know you wouldn't lie to me about something like this, so, as the father I'll accept any responsibility you want me to have."

"What responsibilities?" Charlotte asked naively. "Babies are just for hugging and loving … right?"

"Babies need a lot more than just love, Charlie," Brianna told the harpy seriously, which was unusual given that there was hardly a moment when she was serious during the day … even life-and-death situations were mostly fun and games with her ... "They need constant supervision."

"They need to have their nappies changed as many as ten times a day," added Sheila. "And that's _before_ they start eating solid foods."

"They need to be fed once every two or three hours," added Lydia.

"They wake up in the middle of the night, screaming, because they are hungry, dirty or frightened from a dream or a loud sound," Gina continued.

"They need to be washed, powdered and dressed several times a day," Lydia added. "It's not all fun and games, by bringing a life into this world, you've committed yourself to a lifetime of responsibility and sacrifice … But I hear the good times outweigh the bad …"

By the end of this revelation, Charlotte was close to tears.

"I didn't know that," she sniffed. "What do I do? I don't know how to do any of that! I'm going to be the worstest mommy ever!"

And with this emphatic declaration, Charlotte started crying both loudly and wetly.

Of course, Ranma couldn't really keep his head around crying girls, and the fact that the one that cried now was the mother of his unborn child did nothing to dampen his instincts, so he rushed forward, egg in one arm, and gave Charlotte a hug to try and calm her down.

In his haste, Ranma had done the right thing, which was noteworthy in itself, but he had also forgotten that he had awoken with nothing on but the sheets and they flew off the moment he lunged for the wailing harpy at the foot of the bed, leaving him fully exposed, black fur, tail and all.

His words of comfort were lost on his lovers, though, as they noticed his current attire, making them rue the act of removing his clothes before putting him in bed. But, they couldn't really stay upset for long, because the base scene was much too moving, and what had started as Ranma hugging Charlotte with the egg on one arm, ended up as a group hug with the egg in the middle, handled carefully.

"Maybe you should join our little "harem," Charlie," suggested Gina after a few moments of this pile of emotion. "We could help you take care of the baby when you aren't able to."

"I'm sure Ranma has room for one more girlfriend, right, honey?" added Lydia. Her tone suggested compassion, sympathy and an underlying threat if he gave the wrong answer.

"Sure," agreed Ranma immediately. Then he got a flash of his past thrown in his face, and decided to extend on his answer … it wouldn't do for his girlfriends to think him a typical male-chauvinist pig that was out to bed as many women as he could with no regard for their feelings. "But I'll leave you to decide if or when you want to become as close as the others …"

Judging by the satisfied nods his girlfriends gave him at that answer, this had been the right thing to say.

"And I hope for all our sakes that my mother doesn't find out about this baby," added Ranma. "Or she'll have us all at the altar in a matter of moments to keep the baby from being born out of wedlock, and barricade herself in a room with the baby until she's spoiled it rotten …"

"Er …" started Beebee uncertainly. "Aunty Nodoka already called while you were resting … she mentioned something about her "Manly" senses tingling, and asked if any of us had gotten knocked up. I didn't know if you wanted her to know yet, so I truthfully told her that none of us had gotten pregnant … leaving out that you had gotten _someone else_ pregnant … she still seemed suspicious, though …"

Oh, dear … the revelation that his mother suspected a pregnancy made Ranma feel queasy.

She was sure to probe deeper the next time she contacted them, and someone might let something slip … she'd be there faster than they could deny the slip, and coo about the grandbaby while scolding them about keeping the knowledge of it from her.

To make matters worse for Ranma, Charlotte agreed to join the harem on a trial basis, and was rounding up his girlfriends in another group hug as thanks for accepting her.

Amidst the chatter that followed, Ranma also learned that Hanza covered for Charlotte in her job while they explained things to him, and that they would probably have to make this a semi permanent deal, because there was no way Ranma's girlfriends, nor Ranma himself, would allow a mother, let alone a mother-to-be to risk her life in a job that was all about fights and possible death to protect another person.

It was during all this that Ranma decided to take another spontaneous nap, with the egg held firmly yet gently in his arms.

* * *

Author's Notes; Thank you all, I was pleasantly surprised at how many responses I got to my question of classes in American and Japanese High Schools, and for clarification, yes, the year in my pen name is my birth year … I mention it in my biography, I think … if I haven't, I'll add it now.

Knowing me, this will most likely be the last chapter for a while, as I will be leaving very shortly … I guess I'll get leave once in a while, but during that time, I might want to simply spend time with family and friends, but there's still a chance that I might not be needed and sent home as soon as I report in, or if I'm not in as good condition as I think I am, in which case, I'll try to update no less than a month after the last one.

Until then, good bye.

Credits; The scene with Tirant's nightmare was inspired by the review of Dragon Man 180. I would also like to thank so many of you out there for sending in lesson plans for High School … though if this knowledge will be applied to this story is yet to be determined, but it will help with the progress of planning for other fanfiction ideas I have with other crossovers.

Small writing tip; "A lot" and "Allot". "A lot" denotes a large quantity of objects or chronic repetition of an activity. You can refer to a specific group of people as a particular " Lot". Your " Lot" is the kind of life you have or the things that you have or experience. A " Lot" is a small area of land that belongs to a person or company. A " Lot" in an auction is one of the objects or group of objects that are being sold. If something is "Allotted" to someone, it is given to them as their share.

Second writing tip; the use of "-'s". "-'s" is added to nouns to form possessives. However, with plural nouns ending in "-s", and sometimes with names ending in "-s", you form the possessive by adding "-'". "-'s" is the usual spoken form of "is" or "has".


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

Erwin Talon was not in a happy mood, something that unfortunately seemed to develop into a trend lately.

Not only had he been outbid on the Amulet of Truth by Penny Pincer, but Zelda, his chauffeur and bodyguard at this activity, had gotten her butt handed to her by a strange woman with a huge sword.

The Harpy that usually acted as Pincer's bodyguard was apparently off duty for family matters and this woman had taken her place until the issue could be resolved.

Erwin had _counted_ on that harpy being there, as he knew from previous encounters with her that she was as spineless as a jellyfish and as naïve as a toddler, the perfect victim of Zelda's bully tactics of diplomacy and negotiation. Because the harpy was not there, and the new woman was nowhere near as easily intimidated or beaten, the auction had been lost to the former nemesis of Gina Diggers.

When he returned to his lab, he had related his experience to the Amazons, or rather, the one called Cologne.

"So, you're saying that this Pincer woman's regular bodyguard took the day off for family reasons, and was replaced by a professional?" asked Cologne curiously. "Did the woman mention something else … Some information of use, perhaps?"

"Not much," huffed Erwin, annoyed both at his situation, and that he couldn't get more sympathy for it. "They mentioned that they would visit the Diggers place this evening and pick up the Harpy, Charlotte, then … but that's it …"

"So, the Diggers have returned?" enquired Cologne in thought. "Then chances are that Ranma has returned as well …"

"If he was their guest on their trip, yes," agreed Erwin, still not calmed down from the humiliation of being outbid.

"Then it's time we gathered our people and retrieved my wayward Son-in-Law before he disappears again."

* * *

Ranma shivered for some reason as he welded the last piece of steel to his latest invention. He had gotten a little time to himself after the whole baby revelation and induction of Charlotte into the "Harem" he seemed to have gathered, and decided to put that time to good use.

The invention he now had before him looked like two rings of steel, the hoop large enough to fit a blue whale through if it was determined enough. The ring itself was smoothed at the edges, almost like the rings normally worn on the hand, only much bigger, and containing about a kilometre of chi-tech wiring inside just one of them. On the side, a console was mounted much like a diamond setting on a ring, only containing a monitor and keyboard instead of diamonds.

One might wonder what the function of these rings may be, but this question was about to be answered.

Ranma carried one ring to one end of the lab, facing inwards, and carried the other ring to the opposite end of the lab.

Picking up a wrench from a workbench near the centre of the lab, Ranma returned to the closest ring, and started pressing buttons on the console.

A whoosh filled the lab, and both rings suddenly filled with what looked to be a swirling vortex of bright, shimmering water, appearing not too differently from how water starts whirling down a drain.

Stepping out in front of the ring, Ranma tossed the tool through.

-Clank!-

Looking over his shoulder, Ranma was satisfied to see the wrench falling to the ground before the other ring, with as much force as if it had not been transported across the room first.

There had been a tiny delay of about one hundredth of a second, but that was acceptable, considering the device was only in its test phase, and transport had not occurred before the entire object had passed through the vortex.

The vortex suddenly disappeared from sight with a similar whoosh as when it came to be, and Ranma drew the wrench to him with telekinesis, before placing it in the ring, balancing on the rim, but still intersecting the non-existent vortex.

Once again, Ranma pressed some buttons on the ring console.

-Beep!-Beep!-

" Connection cannot be established, " answered the monotone male voice Ranma had put in it … he had _borrowed_ one of the voice-boxes of the numerous hurtbots that were in for repairs. " An object is obstructing the gap, please remove it and try again. "

Nodding in satisfaction, Ranma removed the wrench, and pressed the same buttons.

The vortex whooshed into being once more, and Ranma placed the wrench back where he had just removed it, before stepping back and checking a timer he started to compare times.

Time marched on, but the vortex did not turn off, and the wrench did not appear on the other end.

Making a note of this, Ranma made an attempt at shutting the ring down manually.

-Beep!-Beep!-

" Warning! An object is still in transit, shutdown aborted! " informed the voice.

Ranma nodded once more, expecting this, and attempted to pull the wrench back, only to discover that this was not possible, leaving him with only one choice … force it through.

-Clank!-

Ranma watched as the wrench appeared on the other side of the lab and once more nodded in satisfaction.

"All right, who's messing with my precision tools?" demanded the annoyed voice of Gina Diggers as the woman entered the lab. "Oh, it's you …"

"Sorry," Ranma apologised sheepishly, raising one hand to the back of his neck as always when he feels embarrassed. "I was testing an invention of mine, and your wrench was the first thing I could find … it won't happen again, I promise!"

"That's okay, Ranma," purred Gina, sauntering up to Ranma and pressing herself against him. For one reason or another, she wasn't upset anymore. "_You_ can _mess with my **equipment**_ any time you want …"

"Er …"

"So, what is this invention of yours, hmmm?" cooed Gina and nuzzled her face into Ranma's neck, practically oozing pheromones of her own as she played with the hairs at the back of his neck, where his pigtail used to be.

It took a moment for Ranma to gather himself from the state of arousal Gina was putting him in with her rubbing, her tone and wandering fingers, but he managed, and coughed once before speaking again, to clear his throat of some excess saliva.

"Well," he started, knowing full well that Gina was capable of focusing on both his speech and her activities simultaneously. "It is somewhat similar to your Light Gate device … but with set entrances and exits, like doorways. Once activated, these rings will transport objects or living creatures from the ring they activated to the one they wanted to go to."

"Why rings?" was the only thing Gina could think to ask as she glanced at the device.

"It has to do with even distribution of energy to the vortex … any other shape would cause an uneven flow to the centre and could cause some _nasty_ consequences …" explained Ranma. "And before you ask, the rings only work one way, so it's impossible to return to the point of origin without waiting for the shutdown and "redial" the ring back from where you came."

"So each vortex is a one-way street, so to speak?"

"Yes," confirmed Ranma.

"How about universal positioning?" asked the snuggling genius from where she was cuddling Ranma's side. "Wouldn't it be difficult to need constant knowledge of things like Lunar revolution, Earth revolution, Lunar orbit, Earth's orbit around the sun, the sun's revolution in the galaxy and the galaxy drifts just to calculate where the other ring is accordingly?"

"Not really," answered Ranma. "I've installed a positioning matrix in both rings that keep constant track of those things in relation to each other, so in theory, I should be able to place one ring on one end of the universe, and another on the other end, and still manage near-instantaneous transportation between them by allowing them to bend space between them"

"Wow …" commented an awed Gina. "What are the drawbacks?"

"Surprisingly only one I can think of …" answered Ranma. "If something stops halfway through the vortex, more or less, the vortex will not shut down, and the object will not appear on the other end until the object is pushed completely through … this could of course be solved by adding a certain amount of vacuum to the vortex, allowing it to pull in things that has started the transit but lost momentum, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet …"

"Well, you could try-"

"We're under attack!"

Ranma and Gina turned to the doorway, where Beebee came barrelling through with her announcement.

"In the front yard, Peewee's Minions and a bunch of scantily clad women with weapons led by a monkey on a stick!" she elaborated as she came to a halt before the two scientists. "We've got to do something before we run out of Peebos and Hurtbots!"

* * *

Outside the house, Peewee's minions and the Amazons were fighting the flood of Peebos and Hurtbots in order to get to the house and retrieve the werecat known as Ranma.

In order to make their fighting more efficient, the groups had set their magic users in the back of the battle, and the physical fighters on the front … that way, the ones in the back would be able to remove threats to their comrades, while remaining safe from stray explosions while focusing on spells.

This was the scene that presented itself to Ranma as he exited the house: Craters from exploding Peebos, littered parts of robot anatomy, gouges in the ground from blades of various sorts missing or being deflected from their intended target, scorch marks on the walls where spells had missed their target and struck anything behind them, two dozen scantily armoured women battling Hurtbots and dodging Peebos, two male shinobi cutting through the robots that strayed from the main battle front, a long-haired woman in a maid's uniform and a bald woman in a green bathing suit tearing hurtbots apart with their bare hands while cursing at each other for hogging all the fun or getting in the way, and two magic users, one of each gender, flinging spell after spell after their mechanical opponents.

As he was about to join the Hurtbots in their fight, two familiar women stepped into his path.

One of them was about his height in human form, long purple hair and dressed in a short silk dress. The other rode on the first's shoulder, was about a foot and a half in height, with white hair twice as long, and eyes as big as tennis balls … she looked like a monkey, had it not been for the robes she wore and the cane she usually hopped around on.

"Hello, Son-in-Law," the old woman croaked from the shoulder of her great granddaughter. "We finally tracked you down … your disappearance has cost us nothing but trouble, so you will come back to our village without resistance, and assume your duties as Shampoo's husband."

The matter-of-fact tone Cologne had as she dictated Ranma's fate served to do nothing but irritate him.

"I'm _sorry_ my transformation and subsequent _banishment_ was an _inconvenience_ to you," he ground out with a heavy serving of sarcasm. "But I'm not yours to command … I'm staying with my _real_ friends and family, and there's nothing you can do to _make me_!"

Cologne was visibly restraining her own anger at the disobedience of youth, and keeping Shampoo from lunging at her Airen before the conversation was over.

Before she could retort in any way, something caught Cologne's eye.

Just outside the house behind Ranma, a group of women had emerged and were debating whether or not to jump into the battle. That _several_ women had fallen for him wasn't all that uncommon around Ranma, although they seemed to be very organised and cooperative where the young man was concerned. What _was_ uncommon was the winged woman with talons on her hands and feet, caressing an unmistakably pregnant belly through a maternity dress, while looking concernedly at Ranma.

"Son-in-Law, is that _your_ child?" Cologne finally asked, not taking her eyes off the bulging belly of the seeming Phoenix woman.

"It is," admitted Ranma slowly. "What of it?"

Shampoo looked murderous for a moment, and was about to lunge for the obstacle between her and her husband, but Cologne bopped her on the head with her cane to keep her in place.

"Then we can, indeed, not simply bring you with us as originally planned …"

"Oh?" questioned Ranma suspiciously … this was usually the point in the conversation where some obscure Amazon law would make a major impact on his life. He was not to be disappointed.

"Amazons live in a Matriarchal society, and as such we hold pregnant women and mothers in high esteem …" explained Cologne. "As a mother-to-be has laid claim on you already, Shampoo's claim diminishes in significance. In practical terms, you are hereby free of the "Kiss of Marriage," Koki Ranma."

A whoop sounded from several of the women behind Ranma, and as a group, the women started hugging and airing ideas for weddings.

"Don't celebrate just yet," interrupted Cologne. "There is still the matter of the "Kiss of Death" to be taken care of …"

"What, you're going to try and kill me again?" asked Ranma, groaning at the unfairness of it all.

"We are not _barbarians_, Ranma," corrected Cologne in a sniff. "A similar situation has arisen before, and was fit into our laws. In this case, _you_, Ranma, will have to battle a village Matriarch in your mate's stead. Should you win, you will be released from all our laws and influence … you'll be free and likely never hear from us again. But, if you should lose, Shampoo will once again have the chief claim on you, and your child will be adopted into the village. The Mother will not remember you or the child you had together, and will be free to start over with someone else …"

"Formula 411 …" growled Ranma, remembering how Shampoo had used this formula on Akane, not long after he first arrived at the Tendo dojo.

"Correct," confirmed Cologne. "Now, _shall we_?"

Knowing that there was little else he could do that did not involve killing every Amazon present, Ranma nodded and followed the ancient woman as she hopped into the centre of the fray, where the Amazon women had started making a battle-free circle, forming a makeshift ring with fighting surrounding it.

While his back was turned, Shampoo turned to the group of women with murder in her eyes … they stood in the way of her love.

"Obstacles are for killing!" she declared before leaping at them, her blunt weapons raised in preparation for attack, only to feel herself being flung violently in the opposite direction by an unseen force. She was knocked out when the back of her head crashed through a tree and into a fire hydrant, which started pouring out water enough to rain on most of the battle, and turning her into a pinkish purple cat.

Cologne looked surprised when the water started raining down on Ranma, and no change occurred.

"Wh-"

"Part of the transformation Happosai forced on me," interrupted Ranma, anticipating her question. "It switched the trigger from water to a mental and biological command, now, should we get on with the fight, or chat about the weather?"

"Very well," conceded Cologne. "But we need to establish a few ground rules. Number one, no killing … this is not a fight to the death, so lethal force is off limits! Number two, no hybrid or beast form, because it would give an unfair advantage that could be looked upon as cheating. Number three, no poisons-"

"Or potions," added Ranma, to make sure he had at least some angle covered … it wouldn't do to look too confident against one of his former strongest opponents.

"-or potions," added Cologne grudgingly. "Anything else?"

"No outside interference," suggested Ranma, giving the hissing pink cat a knowing look.

"Of course!" exclaimed Cologne in near outrage. "That goes without saying!"

"I'd rather you said it," commented Ranma, giving the ancient woman a flat stare. He wouldn't put it past her to claim she had not agreed to the rule of no interference if he didn't _make_ her say it. She'd probably claim she was agreeing with something else …

"Fine, there will be no outside interference," growled Cologne in annoyance. "But apart from this, it is, as you usually are so fond of putting it, _Anything Goes_."

"Excellent," said Ranma, falling into a tight defensive stance in preparation for battle, shifting back from hybrid form to human form. "Let's begin."

Cologne immediately knew something was wrong, now. In all the time she had known Ranma, he had never once fallen into any recognisable defensive stance at the opening of a fight … usually, he relied on his no-stance stance to lure his opponents into a false sense of security or enrage them for not taking them seriously. Either Ranma was really taking this fight very seriously or his transformation and mage training with Dr Diggers had robbed him of some of his hard-earned skill, causing him to fall back on the basics. This, however, was very unlikely … that meant Ranma was not going to hold back and was taking this fight dead seriously. But, she still had a couple of centuries of experience on him, so there was little he did that would surprise her in a fight, no matter how unpredictable he was.

Believing her victory already won, Cologne initiated the confrontation with a Splitting Cat's Hairs technique, surrounding Ranma with as many as six phantom images of herself to confuse him into making a mistake, such as attacking the wrong image.

Seeing Ranma glance around, Cologne smirked and replaced her staff with a sword, single-edged, thin and long, made with silver mixed into the iron and cooled with holy water, made specifically for battle against supernatural creatures, and a decorative white foot-long silk streamer attached to a hoop at the pummel. While the silver would burn him badly, Cologne knew what she was doing, and knew it wouldn't kill him or poison him long-term, so _technically_, she wasn't breaking the rules … Ranma being a werecat, she had expected him to ban silver weapons from the fight … too bad for him, because his forgetfulness was going to win her the fight.

As the sword cut into Ranma's arm, he exploded into smoke, blinding Cologne as well as shocking her … silver was _not_ supposed to have this effect on werecreatures!

"Great grandmother! Watch out!" Shampoo called from the sidelines … where she had gotten hot water to change back remained a mystery. "Above you!"

Out of instinct, Cologne listened to and heeded the warning of her great granddaughter, and leapt away when she saw Ranma descending rapidly, feet first.

-Fwump!-

The sound produced by the impact between the already pockmarked lawn and the werecat in human form was not all that great … however, the results were impressive.

A crater, five feet in radius, formed where Ranma had landed, and soil and grass rained down on all who were watching.

"Isn't this cheating, Cologne?" asked Ranma seriously, nodding at the young Amazon at the edge of the battlefield. The fighting surrounding the two had died down somewhat, as the hurtbots had started to run out, and those remaining opted to protect their creator from random attacks instead of attacking. The peebos had run out, and their memory and personality chips were in the lab, waiting for Brianna to create new vessels for them. So the Amazon warriors instead focused on cheering for their appointed leader for this realm, and keeping Peewee's minions from interfering.

"Shampoo," called Cologne, her face just as serious as Ranma's. "Stop interfering with the fight! You dishonour our clan by breaking the rules set for this battle!"

"But, great grandmother-"

"No!" Cologne interrupted angrily. "Any more interruptions and we will lose because of them! Understood?"

Shampoo nodded reluctantly, and bowed her head in mild shame.

"Good, then let's continue," said Ranma, and once more slid into a defensive stance.

Determined not to be fooled a second time, Cologne once more raced in with her sword swinging for a blow.

-Snap!-Snikt!-hummm!-

But the sword never came as far as she had counted on, as Ranma blocked it with what looked like a flashlight with a four-foot long solid beam of light as thick as handle, wielded like a sword.

Confusion was the dominant expression on Cologne's face as she studied the beam of light. This thing could not be magic … there was no magic in it, but how else could such a weapon have been crafted? And how did Ranma, who normally shunned weapons, get his hands on it?

"I see you like my sword," commented Ranma lightly, something Cologne thought he should not have been able to with the pressure she was exerting on the blade. "I'm proud to say I made it myself … hardly took me an hour putting it together, and when I set it for _lethal_, it can cut through nearly _anything_! Including _your sword_ …"

Listening to the not-too-disguised hint, Cologne retreated a few steps, and watched as Ranma stowed his energy sword away into stuff space, displaying that he knew how to perform the Amazon technique personally, and was not simply emulating it with technology.

Patiently waiting for Cologne to attack again, Ranma took a page from Happosai's book of fighting.

As the short, ancient woman rushed at Ranma with her sword, Ranma sidestepped the gleaming blade, and by touching her extended hand, he redirected Cologne's momentum in the same direction Happosai usually did … _up_.

As the old woman was still unwillingly ascending, Ranma stepped aside and pulled out a gun from stuff space, clicking the safety off and checking the clip to make sure it wasn't jammed in any way.

This almost _casual_ behaviour in the middle of a fight caused several of the Amazons to bristle, but they could not intervene, because that would cause their side to forfeit … and the weapon he had was clearly within the limits of the rules, provided he aimed carefully before firing.

Cologne had no sooner touched down, experienced enough in unwilling flight to make landings less damaging, before she was forced to leap out of the way.

A series of explosions immediately followed where she had initially landed, and Cologne looked at her opponent, seeing him standing there with a gun aimed at her … however, the barrel of the gun seemed too small to propel bullets with exploding tips through it … as a matter of fact, the opening hardly looked wide enough to fit bullets of even the smallest calibre through … this was not a normal weapon, she realised.

Her suspicion was confirmed when she saw him fire once more.

A needle-like projectile was fired out of the gun instead of a bullet.

Not only that, but it was glowing, and had a pocket of energy cutting through the air for it to lessen air resistance and chance of deflection by any means.

Of course, Cologne was not curious enough to see what effects this projectile would have on _her_ after seeing what it had done to the ground, so she dove out of the way, as did the Amazons standing behind her, allowing the projectile to strike a weathered tree at the very end of the property. The tree broke apart in the explosion and knocked out the female magic-user with one of its many branches.

"This is very unlike you, Koki," commented Cologne as she assessed the damage done by a single shot of this strange gun. "You used to abhor the use of weapons, and here you are, using a beam of light for a sword that was not magic, which makes it highly advanced technology, and a gun that fires senbon needles with energy-blasts in them."

"Being changed into a werecat, banished to a prison for powerful supernatural villains, then sent to a world that is more or less in the technological dark ages has a tendency of changing ones view of certain things, Ghoul," Ranma quipped. "But, I made those weapons myself, so I don't mind using them … and by the way, those weren't senbon needles, they were toothpicks!"

"That doesn't matter," Cologne smirked, ignoring the insulting nickname. "I was merely playing for distraction to allow me to get my second wind. Splitting Cat's Hair technique!"

Again, Ranma was surrounded by half a dozen phantom images of Cologne, all smirking and brandishing their swords.

"You won't trick me with another replacement technique, this time!" they all called.

"Who needs to use a replacement technique?" returned Ranma, equally smug.

Suddenly, there were six of Ranma, standing in a circle with their backs against each other, facing outwards towards Cologne.

"Good luck finding the real one," stated the Ranma standing directly behind where Cologne thought the original had been standing. What she found extraordinary, was that only that one spoke, unlike her own phantom images who could not move independently of the original. "Is it me?" asked the one next to the previous speaker. "Or me?" asked the one opposite that one. Cologne briefly wondered how Ranma had not only learned the Splitting Cat's Hair technique, but improved on it to such a degree that the images looked solid, and appeared to have independent thought. It would be a shame to let such talent go to waste outside the village!

It took a moment, but Cologne managed to spot one of the images smirking a little wider than the others, and determined that this must be the original.

Throwing the sword at Ranma, Cologne pulled her staff back from stuff space, and sped after the blade, intent on knocking Ranma out as soon as he dodge the sword.

It came as a great surprise to the Amazon Matriarch when Ranma slapped his hands on the flat sides of the blade, trapping it and then lodged it into the ground to the hilt with a swift toss … with no visible pain, burns or injuries anywhere.

So surprised was she, that she didn't realise she was under attack until she felt a pair of hands on each limb, restraining her and keeping her from gaining leverage to break loose.

"You are incapable of moving," stated the Ranma who had touched the sword without injury. "I win."

"You win," Cologne grudgingly admitted.

"I'll be left alone by the Amazons?" asked Ranma to make sure they understood each other.

"No Amazon will bother you again, if it can be helped," confirmed Cologne.

"Then, as a Weapons-Master of Jade, and the Head of the Weredinictis Clan, I command you all to leave now, and not bother me, or my loved ones again!" declared Ranma forcefully, using his title for the first time.

The five Ranma clones holding Cologne in place disappeared in clouds of smoke, and the Amazon Matriarch was free to move. She did not, however, as she was too stricken by this unexpected revelation, so she chose to stare and gape at Ranma.

The Amazons from Jade, however, did as they felt, and bowed in a show of respect for One of the Ten as he exerted his power for the protection of others.

One of the Jade Amazons stepped forward and gave an additional bow to Ranma before facing Cologne.

"Our contract is now over," she stated. "We can now return home without shame."

"Huh?" Ranma's eloquent question was the only response the woman got.

"The Amazons of this realm hired us to aid them in tracking you down, honoured Weapons-Master," the Amazon elaborated respectfully. "Time and again, you evaded our pursuit, and soon we had to give up on our pay, because your repeated escapes were blots on our record that had to be erased. But, now we see that the reason why we were unable to track you down, was not because of incompetence on our part … it was because of your skill, and now that we managed to catch up with you, Weapons-Master Ranma, our honour is returned to us three-fold. Not many in Jade can boast of the skill to track down a Weapons-Master that doesn't wish to be found, but now we can, and are thus able to return to our homes without fear of disciplinary action."

Ranma didn't want to ruin her fantasies by telling her that he didn't even know he was being tracked down most of the time, and _wasn't_ deliberately hiding, and kept quiet. Honour was still important to him, so he respected that others held it in high esteem as well.

Shampoo, however, was not satisfied with the results of the battle, and lunged at Ranma with the intent to glomp him into changing his mind about abandoning her to her tribe.

She didn't even get within seven feet of him before she felt herself stop in mid-air, and remain there.

"It's over, Shampoo," stated Ranma sternly, his back turned to her. "There is nothing you can do or say to change my mind about you, so there is no point in trying. If you _do_ persist in your futile quest for my heart and body, I _will not_ restrain my girlfriends from doing you serious bodily harm, and may inflict some of my own." Shouts of "HELL YEAH!" and "BRING IT ON, B#&!" could be heard from the doorway where several of Ranma's suitors were standing.

"But I love you, Airen!" protested Shampoo, notably better in coherency than Ranma usually heard her, leading him to realise that she had not been as dumb as she pretended to be … just like him.

"That may be," agreed Ranma. "But I do not return those feelings, and it would be not only cruel to allow you to believe that I did, but my girlfriends have grown in number lately, and I'm afraid they may feel less loved if I accepted girls on the criteria of only _them_ loving _me_, and not both ways. I could never accept a girlfriend I didn't care about. I know you would not only try to dominate me because of how you were raised, but also my girlfriends, which would more than likely lead to a fight. I will not condone such things, so I will not give you more chances to prove that you can change.

"Good bye, Xian Pu of the Joketsuzoku Amazons … I wish you a happy life, _away from me_."

Setting the young woman down and letting the other Amazons restrain Shampoo from making more attempts at intimacy. Ranma walked back to the doorway, where his girlfriends greeted him with one big group hug and words of endearment and gratitude for his speech.

* * *

Somewhere just outside of Tokyo, the prison guards were getting nervous.

It had happened quite coincidentally … no one were to blame, and none would take the blame if someone indeed was at fault.

The event in question was something that could end very badly for everyone in the prison … a Master and Student had been reunited in the courtyard.

"Master!" exclaimed the still overweight Genma as he grovelled at the feet of Happosai.

Happosai couldn't say he was surprised that Genma had ended up in jail … sooner or later the man was bound to run into troubles with the law that couldn't be solved by running away or blaming his son, but still, the man was so good at both that it was _almost_ surprising anyway.

"Hello, Saotome," greeted Happosai casually. "What brings you to this abysmal, yet ironically appropriate place?"

"My disobedient, dishonourable son, is what!" moaned Genma in theatrical emotional pain. "Oh, to be cursed with such a horrid child!"

"Ranma?" asked Happosai. "For some reason, I was under the impression that he had passed on …"

"No, he's still alive!" corrected Genma and held out his forearms. "He put these things on me to sap me of my strength! He had me arrested! And worst of all, he did it in his _cursed form_ and refused to change back!"

"Interesting …" Happosai muttered. He briefly wondered what happened to Ranma's fur … he seemed to recall Ranma turning shorter and hairier when the spell was improperly performed. But he couldn't really remember much else until he was crawling along the streets in search of medical attention. Surely Genma would have mentioned such details about Ranma if he had indeed seen him in the state Happosai had changed him into … and those bracers were masterfully crafted … how had Ranma gotten things like that?

"But now, you can free me from these infernal things!" exclaimed Genma happily. "We can both escape, and seek out my ungrateful son, then _force_ him to marry Akane, and hand over control of his money to us! Oh, happy day! My retirement is assured! He's filthy rich from some kind of invention, you know … We're set for lif-!"

"No."

"Huh?"

"We are both in this place for good reasons," explained Happosai sagely, something not all that uncommon for him, but it was usually followed by a lecherous panty-raid or groping of women … there were no women within groping distance here, nor was there vast amounts of food and sake, so that was also out as a reason to act so wise. "I know I have broken the law on several occasions, as have you, and I intend to serve whatever time they decide I deserve, and not only make the best of it, but try and make those I have transgressed against accept my forgiveness.

"As for your son, I am surprised he didn't grow a backbone strong enough to thrash you for your sins against him sooner. I always knew he was holding back in some way, but never could find out in what area … his mind was the last place I would have thought to look …"

"But, Master-!"

"I'll hear none of it," protested Happosai. "We both deserve what we get, and it would make things infinitely more pleasant for you if you simply accepted that there is nothing you can do to escape, with or without my help. Now, leave me be, before you earn me an increased sentence for assaulting a fellow inmate. Good day."

Without listening to the desperate pleas of his former student, Happosai wandered to the other end of the courtyard, petting the body of the amorous octopus hiding under his shirt while pondering how to phrase a letter of apology to Ranma, and how to go about finding the address to send such a letter to.

* * *

Somewhere unknown, Gothwrain was contemplating the news his spies in Jade had brought him about the mysterious werecat. He had of course put this together with what he had learned of the werecat in the Earth realm.

It was clear that the werecat was already immensely powerful, being able to not only tie with a Weapons-Master in a sparring match, but beat her in a fight barely a month later … and his skill in learning new magic was unrivalled, to Gothwrain's knowledge. This was of course not a good thing when the werecat in question was supposed to be a threat. And that he seemed immune to the adverse effects of silver, magic and injuries from fellow werecreatures did not make him any less dangerous.

He had, naturally, sent out wererat ninja to shadow the werecat, to make sure that he didn't start hunting down wererats.

That bumbling trio of fools he had sent after Koki were only for distraction while _competent_ ninja wererats surveyed them and their target.

When that idiot Romeo managed to leave DNA behind after a confrontation with Koki, those secret operatives went into the home of Talon and retrieved all records and samples of the DNA Romeo had left behind.

Now, what was he, Gothwrain, going to use his information for?

The only aggression shown towards wererats by Koki, had been in self defence, and that had been attempted rectified when the fight was over and had led to the loss of Lydia McCracken's loyalty to the wererat cause. If what Romeo theorised in the brief report he mailed before he was captured in a failed rescue mission along with his busty team mate, Moisha, then the _real_ threat Koki posed, was not to the wererat cause, but rather to Gothwrain's power. Having every female wererat falling in lust with the werecat would be disastrous, as with any sentient species, the female holds a certain sway over the male, and if they left, the men would follow, if for nothing else than the continuation of the species, and to yell at the werecat for stealing their women.

However, he knew that _he_ was not the only one to get information on the werecat … his spies had families and friends, all of whom somehow managed to hear about the same things, and spread it before the information could be classified and contained.

Already, nearly half a dozen wererats had defected merely upon hearing that not all werecats were evil, and hearing about one of their own loving and being loved by one sped up the defection by thirty percent. Ranma and Lydia were already made into _secret_ legends among the wererats, and those teenaged, giggly wererat girls had been caught fantasising out loud about the romance of the new werecat man. This had gotten one or two wererat women to do the same, and even if it hadn't officially been mentioned to him yet, Gothwrain was aware of an illustrated romance novel circulating, named after the image painted onto the car Koki had made, claiming the story to be a modified version of Romeo & Juliet of the fantasy and science fiction world.

It had been a week since the first defector … the number of disgruntled wererats were increasing daily because of the novel called "The Black Paw," and the rumours of Koki's achievements in the realms of the mind, heart, body and spirit.

But, what could be done to Koki without making him and Lydia into martyrs?

The only possible solution would be to somehow drag Koki's reputation through the mud … dig up horrible secrets from his past and pelt him with them to make him lose some of his following. If he somehow managed to make Koki's name worth less than the paper and ink it would take to write his name, _then_ he could arrange for the werecat to meet with an _accident_, without anyone suspecting him or creating a form of religion or faction in the werecat's name.

But the question remained … _where could he get his hands on such information_?

* * *

Author's Notes; Well, I'm back! Turns out the Norwegian Corps of Engineers (That is what that branch of the army is translated into) aren't that crazy about people with a long history of depression, so they discharged me on my first day … the good news is that I didn't really want to go, but because of the Norwegian recruitment system a certain amount of people under thirty are "drafted" for one year of service –foreign or domestic service is more or less up to the individual- during which time the government will freeze all loan interests and give a good discount on rent on the apartments left behind. The reason I was so secretive during the last few AN, was that I was uncertain about how much I was allowed to tell, but apparently, as long as I do not mention specific names or places, I should be fine. I'm sorry if I led anyone to believe that I was about to charge out into the world, risking life and limbs for my country, though the option to do so was right there on the forms I had to fill out. The bad news is that because of this, I had nothing else planned for the year and am now left dead in the waters … so to speak … I need to get a job …

I know it seems very sudden for Ranma to be in the Lab, tinkering, after the shocking news he received in the previous chapter, but I'm not good with emotions, so I skipped any touchy-feely moments between the last chapter and where we find Ranma in this one.

As for Cologne's brutish style of fighting, I don't know what to say … I know it's not good, but in my defence, it is very difficult to predict how someone you've not seen fight a lot would react to any given situation, and at the time of the fight in this chapter, she is confident in her own victory, meaning she isn't taking it as seriously as she should.

Small writing tip; "Aloud" and "Allowed". When you say something, read, or laugh "Aloud", you speak or laugh so that other people can hear you. If you "Think Aloud", you express your thoughts as they occur to you, rather than thinking first and then speaking. If someone is "Allowed" to do something, it is right for them to do it and they will not get into trouble.

Second writing tip; "Pair", "Par", "Pare" and "Pear". A "Pair" of things are two things of the same shape and size that are used together or are both part of something, for example shoes, earrings, or parts of the body. If you say that two people or things are "On a Par With" each other, you mean that they are equally good or bad, or equally important. When you "Pare" something, or "Pare" part of it off or away, you cut off its skin or its outer layer. A "Pear" is a sweet, juicy fruit which narrows near the end of its stalk, and wider and rounded at the bottom. "Pears" have white flesh, and thin green or yellow skin.

Credits; I know, the rings seem very similar to the Stargates, and that is what I based the idea on, but unlike the Stargates, these rings do not make the "explosion" into the space before them during activation, the energy simply spins into existence, like colouring swirling down the drain in water, sort of appearing along the edges of the vortex, and the vortex doesn't stop until the device is deactivated. If any Stargate fans out there need an image of how the event horizon looks, picture how it looked when SG1 accidentally connected to a Stargate near a Black Hole. I have no idea how those things really work, so I've taken a few liberties and tossed in some explanations that sounded scientific and plausible … if they are not, please inform me, as normal, and I will correct the error … I think my explanation has something to do with Einstein's theories, but I'm not sure … and it would be impossible for me to claim that I got the idea for the rings on my own, because I'm pretty sure I've seen one or two reviews mention something like them, but I can't seem to find them …


	36. Chapter 36

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

It was sunrise over Asia, or more specific, the Bakalayan Mountain Range in China, and the warm rays had just started peeking over the rim of dirt on the road leading over the mountain and down into the valley containing the Pools of Sorrow.

The light played colourfully and brightly over the jungle trees, damp from the morning dew, and made the water sparkle merrily as the sky blushed a pale red around its one brilliant eye.

A single speck disturbed the harmony of the sky, it hung very low and was approaching Jusenkyo rapidly.

As the speck came closer, it was discernable as a bulky, black car with the silver outline of a paw on the front, and the horizontal wheels were barely touching the tops of trees as it weaved between the taller trees and cliffs while it had a more or less direct route towards the Cursed Pools of Sorrow.

As the car came over Jusenkyo, Ranma slowed his car down and looked down on the place that had been the start of some of his more insane adventures in Nerima.

It looked nothing like it had then, and this was because the entire valley was flooded as a result of his battle with Saffron, forming a mountain lake instead of hundreds of springs. Even the Jusenkyo Guide's hut was mostly submerged, and it had been several feet above any spring in the valley. What results would come from falling into this lake, Ranma didn't want to know, and rather than tempt fate by remaining above it, he sped back up and circled the valley until he spotted what he was looking for.

It wasn't large, but it wasn't small, either.

Growing as the car approached was a wall of tightly packed stone and wood encircling a village carved out from the mountain side, hidden from sight from most angles by dense jungle and stone.

This was the village of the Musk.

This was Ranma's intended destination.

It had been time for Ranma to return to Japan and start taking care of the problem that was brewing with Dr Drakken, Shego, Ryoga and Akane, and as his car did not seat seven persons, it was decided that only Beebee would come with him as she was his personal secretary, and Ranma would set up the second of the two rings in his home so the others could come after them without the uncomfortable methods of travel currently available to the general public. Those that would wait for the ring to be set up had been very affectionate with him in an attempt at convincing him to let them come, but accepted it when he didn't ask them to come … they knew his unspoken reason was that Beebee was one of the few of them that wouldn't drag Ranma off to his room once they arrived in Japan, and would allow him to drive the car without distracting him with attempts at conversation about feelings or emotions … in other words, Beebee was not as forward as the others, so she would come.

About halfway across the Pacific, Ranma remembered about Hanza's request for a cure … well, more like a demand and threat, but still … so Ranma decided to make a quick stop by the Musk to see if a cure could be arranged.

With this in mind, Ranma circled the village once before landing the car in front of a big door, the biggest one, guessing that this would be the entrance to the royal quarters.

No sooner had both Ranma and Beebee exited the car, before two familiar men confronted them … Mint, the speedy man of wolf heritage, and Lime, the strong and enduring man of tiger heritage, both wearing what looked like skullcaps with the ears of the animal they descended from attached, and clothes of colours matching their headwear.

Apparently, though Ranma had changed, he had not changed enough, because the two men recognised him and fell into defensive stances against the only one known to defeat their Master.

"I'm here to see Herb," Ranma stated simply.

"I'll go inform _King_ Herb of the intruders," said Mint to Lime, as though he hadn't heard Ranma even if he was looking right at him. "You keep an eye on them, and if they give any provocation, _crush them_."

With that said, Mint disappeared in a blur that streaked through the large doorway Ranma had suspected was the entrance where he would find Herb. While the Musk of wolf heritage might have been fast, Ranma had improved greatly since their last encounter, and could track the man without difficulty.

While they waited, Lime took the time to crack his knuckles in an attempt at intimidating the two intruders, but only achieved a brow raised in curiosity.

So as not to give Lime an excuse to attack him, Ranma remained perfectly still, apart from a wandering eye taking in the rough detail of this village … the most noteworthy, apart from the lack of native females, was that it seemed only a handful of men lived there.

It appeared that the Musk was indeed a dying people … and the loss of the Spring of Drowned Girl would certainly not help their situation any, as it was their only method of courtship … dunking a defeated animal, preferably a predator, in the spring and sire offspring with the animal in human form.

While Ranma pondered what happened to those women during the pregnancy and after the birth of the men, Mint returned at a similar pace as he went away with.

"King Herb said for us to escort our _guests_ to the Throne Room," Mint growled. Ranma only then realised the title Herb was referred to, and could only venture a guess as to how he got that title since last time. "Follow me, and don't get lost!" Mint snapped and started walking back towards the door he had just emerged from, casting a glance back at Ranma and Beebee every few seconds throughout the entire trek.

Before commencing the walk, Ranma stowed away the car, not wanting to find out what would happen to it if it remained out in public in a more or less barbaric village.

As they walked in, with Mint in front of them and Lime in the back, Ranma could feel the tiger Musk leering at Beebee's body in her rather tight denim pants and loose, pink sleeveless top that revealed a bit too much to other people than Ranma was comfortable with if she raised her arms or bent forwards. The top kept sliding off one of her shoulders every time she moved, and Ranma made a note to have the girls go shopping for her so she wouldn't wear such revealing clothes. Though, he should keep his opinions of her clothes to himself, lest he wanted to get the speech of how they could all take care of themselves and that he shouldn't worry about their wardrobe anywhere other than in the bedroom.

The only reason Ranma wasn't beating some subtlety into Lime, was that he wasn't here to start troubles, and beating the guards of ones host is not only impolite, but would result in any chance for peaceful conversation being blown away like powdered snow in a storm.

The inside of the palace was as simple as the outside, rough, grey walls, smooth floor, high ceiling, evenly spaced columns with a few carvings of animal heads snarling at passers-by, and paintings of the Royal family and the epic battles for procreation.

A few minutes of walking through these gloomy corridors, the group entered a big room that could only be the Throne Room. It was very barren, apart from a statue on either side of the door, a raised dais for the throne and a statue on either side of the dais … of whom these statues were, Ranma didn't dare venture a guess.

Sitting on a throne of gold and ivory, was none other than the dragon descendant, Herb, and he was looking very smug.

"Saotome," greeted Herb, making no effort to hide that he still did not like him, but liked that Ranma now had come to Musk territory where he was no longer on home turf advantage. "To what do I owe the _pleasure_ of your presence?"

"It's Koki, actually," corrected Ranma. "Mom divorced my father and I took on her name to avoid being associated with the man, but I won't bore you any more with chatter of family. As for what brought me here, a friend of mine got cursed permanently into female form, and I wondered if I could get a packet of Instant Spring of Drowned Man and borrow the Locking Ladle to reverse the curse. If there is a price, money is no object."

Herb leaned on one chair arm and visibly pondered the request, though whether it was for the theatrics of it or if he really was pondering it was up for debate.

"Mint, approach," the finally declared.

The wolf descendant leaned in to listen to the whisper of his king.

Being that Ranma's hearing, even in human form, he could still hear that Herb told the man to fetch the assortment box and the Ladle in a whisper behind his hand.

Faster than most eyes could follow, Mint ran from the room to fulfil the quest given by his regent.

"So, Koki was it?" started Herb in a patronising attempt at making conversation. "This friend of yours … why didn't he, or is it she, come to me personally?"

"Hanza doesn't know about you," replied Ranma. "And before you ask, no, the Instant Spring powder is not for me, Hanza is not a fictitious person … I recently acquired another curse and dare not experiment with Jusenkyo …"

"Really? And that would mean that the person you brought is not this Hanza person?"

"No, this is Beebee, one of my girlfriends."

Any further small talk was cut off as Mint returned with a cardboard box and a familiar ladle.

From where Ranma stood, he could read the label of the box. _Jusenkyo Products Inc: Instant Spring Party Pack! Amuse, amaze and surprise your friends by taking on different shapes! Five samples of each Spring! (Dangerous ones withheld for safety issues) For shipments of specific Springs, contact the Jusenkyo Guide!_

Herb withdrew one of the packets within, but the name of the Spring was not on the side Ranma saw, so when the King ripped the packet open and poured the content into the Locking Ladle, Ranma was understandably a mite tense.

"Koki, this is the only thing our acquaintance warrants you!" declared Herb before whipping the watery content of the Ladle at the weredinictis in human form.

Ranma was about to redirect the stream of water when his vision was blocked by red, followed by a splash of water striking a semi-soft surface.

Looking down, Ranma saw Beebee leaning on him and giving him a tired, caring look before collapsing to the ground.

_This_ set Ranma off … he had tolerated the leering the men had done, because of diplomacy … he had ignored the condescending tone Herb had spoken to him in … but he didn't like the thought of his girlfriends or family getting hurt, and seeing the one who never physically got tired drop to the ground like this was the straw that broke the donkey's back.

With hardly a thought, Ranma's flaming head technique activated drying up the water near him, and everyone and everything not Ranma's or Beebee's was sent into the walls with enough force to knock the wind out of even the tiger descendant, who was notoriously resilient.

"You fools," Ranma growled. "I came with peaceful intentions, giving you the chance to extend a hand in friendship, and this is how you repay me? Rest assured, if I ever hear anything about you treating anyone like you just did me, or if you ever threaten me or my loved ones, I will use every resource I have at my disposal to make sure that what few subjects you have left will never multiply in any fashion, and that the Musk will be erased from history and existence! Goodbye!"

Without any further ado, Ranma swept Beebee into his arms and released his car from stuff space by means of telekinesis, then with minimal effort, climbed in and activated the cannon, which he used to blast a path diagonally out of the mountain, coincidentally going through a big mountain stream that immediately started pouring into the tunnel instead of the route it had taken for ages.

With a flare of the jet engines, Ranma's car shot out the tunnel, leaving the three stunned Musk to get soaked from the flowing water.

As he emerged from the mountain, the only thing he could think about, apart from his worry over Beebee, was that Hanza might not get cured now that one of the very few possible cures had been unavailable.

* * *

Nodoka was having a peaceful breakfast with her younger housemates, Kasumi and Nabiki.

Her _baby senses_ were still tingling, even if she had been assured that none of the women she knew of were expecting Ranma's child, but what was taking priority at the moment was the sense that something was about to happen.

"I'm telling you," Nabiki commented, as she had done ever since Ranma left. "Those scientists are _completely incompetent_! They haven't produced any solid results yet, only a few directions for Wild Horse Inc to branch into, and a few ideas for products! I mean, what am I paying them for?"

Nodoka couldn't help but smile.

"But, isn't it all Ranma's money?" asked Kasumi, like always taking an interest in the conversations she had a genuine opinion in. "And the company isn't even a month old … most research and development takes years to even produce what you told me your team leaders have presented you these past few days."

"Still," grumbled Nabiki. "It's not moving fast enough …"

Kasumi smiled automatically at her sister's impatience.

Nodoka barely heard their conversation, as she was focusing on seeing through the mask Kasumi was wearing … ever since her son had gone away again, the elder Tendo daughter had been increasingly lethargic, hardly leaving her room unless she needed to for classes, work or necessities like food and bathroom breaks. A few of Kasumi's fellow students, and tentative friends, had tried reaching out to her, but hadn't been able to.

Reaching for her cup of tea, Nodoka paused as she noticed ripples in the brown liquid. Something was sending vibrations into the cup and it was getting closer.

After a moment, the ripples were moving with such intensity that they were on the verge of sending drops into the air.

Then it stopped.

-Slam!-

The sound of a car door being shut in a hurry from the garden caused Nodoka to grin in joy … her son was home!

Before Nabiki or Kasumi could register it, Nodoka was out of the Tea Room, and through the now open sliding door to the garden, with her arms about the neck of her son.

It took Nodoka a few moments to register that Ranma was carrying an unconscious Beebee in his arms, and she let go as soon as she did, opting instead to escort him to the living room where there was a sofa Beebee could rest on until they were certain she could be moved further, for instance to a bedroom.

When Ranma and Nodoka came through the Tea Room, Nabiki and Kasumi stood and followed.

With Beebee on the sofa, Kasumi immediately started checking on her out of instinct as a health professional should, despite consciously knowing that Beebee was a robot.

"What happened, son?" asked Nodoka worriedly. She had been under the impression that Beebee could not suffer from fatigue due to her power source.

"We went to see Herb about a cure for an acquaintance I got in Jade," explained Ranma, sighing in frustration. He couldn't just open Beebee up, because he didn't have her blueprints and would likely only make things worse if he tried fixing her. "He threw Instant Spring water at me with the Locking Ladle but Beebee took the hit for me, then she just collapsed … she shouldn't react like that! Brianna said she was waterproof! I've seen her take a _bath_ and she did not collapse from it!"

"Calm down, son," cooed Nodoka and embraced her son again. "I'm sure she's fine … there's bound to be a logical explanation for this."

"There is," interrupted Kasumi, shakily looking up from the lounging form of Beebee.

* * *

In the realm called the Retreat, the Werewolf Clan was holding a meeting.

"We do not know if half the rumours about this new werecat are true," argued a greying elder stubbornly. He wasn't about to shake in his pants just because some _cat_ was supposedly omnipotent when there was no evidence of it.

"Regardless of unverified rumours, we know for a fact that this Ranma Koki, of a new species of werecat called the Weredinictis, had become the new Weapons-Master of Jade in place of the disgraced Weapons-Master G'Nolga," interrupted Jetta, the Clan leader, and daughter of the previous Clan leader. "And as such, we need to at least meet with him before we start to judge him … after all, we hated werecheetah for ages without a proper reason for it, and because of it, one of our own manipulated us into starting a battle with them that wiped out all but one and lost us quite a few as well … no, we will not repeat that mistake. We will send a request to Weapons-Master Ranma for a meeting, and take things from there."

"And how do you suggest we go about contacting the new Weapons-Master?" sneered one of the newer members of the Clan's Council. It was unfortunate, but after a certain age or a certain amount of achievements, a spot in the Council was offered to any werewolf, and as such, sometimes they would get an immature brat who thought he knew everything and was right about all opinions, or a bitter old fart who couldn't make an unbiased decision if his life depended on it. "We do not know where he lives, apart from rumours of going with the Diggers back to Earth after the victory party for Arms-Master Julia."

"Then we send a message to Arch Mage Diggers and his wife, asking _them_ to contact him about a meeting, and if they do not know where to find him, then we will have to ask the Amazons to borrow a few trackers …" suggested Jetta. She was tired of having to argue every point of every decision with the newer members of the Council who had let their position go to their heads. If it wasn't for her young children needing their mother, she would have started tearing the limbs off the first person who argued with her again on such mundane matters as whether or not to hire the Clan idiot to sweep the floors of the Council's meeting hall between meetings, or whether or not to have cushions to sit on during meetings. "Do we need to put my suggestion to a vote?" she added dangerously.

* * *

Vlad and Natasha were watching with rapt attention as the fight scene repeated itself again, showing how this new player on the field, Ranma, had torn apart the Defences of Bain as though they were no big threat. This was the tenth time they had watched this fight, and still they were amazed at what new details they managed to catch each time.

"This new werecat is most amusing, don't you think, dear?" Natasha asked Vlad. "He also seems to have ties to your grandchildren, Diggers …" she added casually.

The Lich in a butler's coat and tails dared showing a grimace as he was addressed … having their attention on him was never a good thing, considering they still exacted small revenges on him for dethroning them, forcing them to perform janitorial jobs and for plunging the Undead Realm into _bureaucracy_. His own son and grandchildren had seen to the depletion of his power nearly a year ago when he had attempted to branch his influence into the Earth realm.

Because of his treatment of Vlad and Natasha, whenever the two vampires felt like it, they would drop something, have him pick it up, and while he was bent over one of them would kick him, which would result in several simultaneous pained areas.

"What do you think of this werecat, Diggers?" asked Natasha.

This was his chance … with his answer, he could make the two vengeful vampires do something foolhardy that could possibly have them killed. This werecat seemed just the perfect tool for his return to power, even if his own magical abilities had been severely weakened by his undeath and over time and use.

"I think he poses a big threat, Lady Natasha," the former Lich King started in what he hoped sounded like a serious tone … being undead really confused some senses, such as the sense of ones own conscious tone of voice. "The device he handed to Weapons-Master Brunhilda could possible be changed into a weapon specifically made to destroy the undead, and with his apparent technological understanding and access to material, he could produce enough of those weapons to supply an army or two … then there would only be a matter of time before the Undead Realm is invaded. I think it would be most important for you to send the Deadians to have him taken care of as quickly and discreetly as possible."

Feeling quite satisfied with himself for putting to live a plan that would lead to the ruin of his vampire masters, Diggers looked to them to see their reactions.

Vlad's lips were curling upwards around his fangs, and he was shaking for some reason. Natasha however was grinning from ear to ear, and only waited a few moments before exploding into laughter. Vlad followed in a more subdued chuckle.

"Did you _honestly_ think we'd ask your advice for something like this?" Natasha asked as she gasped for air before falling back into another round of laughter. It took a while, but eventually, the laughter died down and Natasha made herself presentable again. "No, we know you'd leap at the first opportunity to reclaim our power … the question was only meant to tease you … now-"

-clank!-

"-pick up that tray before someone trips over it!"

Even knowing what would come, Diggers could only sigh and do as he was told.

* * *

The Maximum Security Prison in Jade was not a friendly place, what with all the dangerous, surly, and nasty criminals of every colour, belief, gender and species found there. And the less said about the personal hygiene of most inmates the better.

However, changes were being made to make the prison slightly more secure, after the rock giant had broken through several walls, ripped a few doors off the hinges and taken two other inmates with her.

Each inmate would now be assigned shackles forged of iron and dwarven steel, to make them impossible to get open by force or magic … granted, the lock could be picked, but spot checks of cells and prisoners would hopefully prevent anyone from getting the tools required for this task.

Another feature was that each wall would now be reinforced with metal of the same mixture as the shackles to prevent particularly strong individuals from simply cracking their way through the walls by punching them, or magically gifted persons blasting their way through.

Extra guards were being hired to make sure nothing happened. And to prevent outside assistance in an escape, thorough background checks and inspections would be made of each applicant and guard at random intervals by a Weapons-Master or the Edge Guard.

The few bright points for the inmates would be the times when they were let into a courtyard for some fresh air and sunlight … granted, the vampires and other undead creatures imprisoned weren't very fond of this time, but such is life …

It was nearly immediately before such a joyful time that a trio of newcomers arrived, and were allowed to partake in this activity, leading them to the assumption that this was a frequent occurrence … silly them.

"This is a nice day," Tirant grudgingly confessed. "All conditions considered …"

"The company could have improved …" commented Array as she noticed a few inmates start a harmless brawl that G'Nolga was very attracted to, even if the fighters weren't in her league of skill by far.

"So, any suggestions of how we break out of this place?" asked Tirant. "Because by the looks of it, your Sheriff and Judge personalities won't be able to manage it legally for some time, being under investigation, and I for one do not want to go to the bathroom in front of a large group of dirty strangers, or clean ones for that matter."

"Nothing springs to mind," sighed Array, also concerned about the matter of having an audience while doing her business … and there was no toilet paper, either. "They've changed a few things here since last one of my personalities visited."

"Damn that werecat and those Diggers for putting us here!" growled Tirant. It looked like he would have to do his business with an audience in the near future after all.

"Diggers?" asked a curious female voice from the shadows. Emerging from them was a creature that looked like an anthropomorphic skunk who had lost her tail, wearing what looked like a thick strip of pale, brown cloth across her bosom, and a loincloth held in place by a similar cloth at her hips. "Would this be the family of _Britanny_ Diggers? The adoptive daughter of Arch Mage Theodore Diggers?"

"Yes …"

"Did you say they put you three in here with the help of some werecat?" continued the creature.

"Yes, the werecat was of big assistance in our arrest," snapped Tirant. "Are you going to introduce yourself, or do we have to get G'Nolga to beat your name out of you?"

"Tanya, former High Priestess of the Kryn in El-Dorado, and I _would_ have become Queen if Britanny Diggers hadn't swooped in and stolen the Prince's heart, making him propose to her and then marry her …" grumbled Tanya. "But, on to more urgent matters, what was this about the werecat?"

"Short, black fur, doesn't look like much," Tirant described offhand. "But he was very strong, deadly and fast when his girlfriends were hurt."

""_Girlfriends_"?" asked Tanya. "As in _plural_?" at the nod of Tirant, Tanya couldn't help but start grinning. "Would that mean he has a strong sexually attracting quality?"

"How would we kno-"

"Yes!" interrupted G'Nolga and Array. Both of them blushed for different reasons once their exclamation had erupted.

"Good …" snickered Tanya and started walking away. "Maybe there's hope for breaking up Stryyp and Britanny yet … then _I'll_ be Queen, and rule all Kryn with Stryyp by my side!"

As she started disappearing back into the shadows, the snicker evolved into a maniacal cackle that gave those that heard it Goosebumps.

* * *

On planet Aebra, the home of the Kryn, a meeting was taking place.

Assembled were members of various wealthy families, and lesser members of royalty, along with Stryyp and the former Empress Archon who stepped aside for Stryyp upon his return.

After Stryyp had assumed the throne, he had been forced to make trips back to Aebra every few days to be updated on the state of affairs … the Light Gate device was an immense help for this long journey, as the trip by space ship would not necessarily take more than a few days, but wouldn't be near as comfortable as stepping through the portal created by the ingenious device.

"Is there any new business?" asked Stryyp as he sat in the throne-like chair of the Council's Meeting Chamber.

A few issues were raised, most concerning the rebuilding of their civilisation after the attack by the Dynasty, and a few concerning his frequent absence from Aebra and how it affected the morale of the people.

"I will have the matter looked into," sighed Stryyp as he contemplated breaking the news to Britanny that he might have to move to Aebra to keep the people from either revolting or go on a strike of some sort. "Anything else?"

"There is _something_, my Lord," offered Archon carefully. "When speaking to me earlier, in private, you mentioned something of a person named Ranma Koki, and that he might possess awesome powers … perhaps it would benefit our people to learn from this person. If he is as powerful as you make him sound, he would be a good ally to have, should we run into trouble with the Dynasty again, and with your Sisters-in-Law providing us with ideas for technological advancements, we would not have to rely solely on you and the Artefacts in a time of need …"

Archon was a strikingly beautiful Kryn, and as such, it was no wonder Britanny worried she would lose Stryyp to her before she married him. At that moment, the female Kryn was worried that she might have overstepped her bounds as both a friend to Stryyp and as a member of the Council. Stryyp looked deep in thought, and the frown could make anyone think he might be cross with them.

"I will suggest such an alliance the next time I speak with them," Stryyp finally conceded. "I cannot guarantee that they will accept, and I will _not_ tolerate anyone hiring people to attempt _persuading_ them … any such acts will be considered traitorous and will at best result in a long time in prison for all those involved in the schemes, understood?"

With that agreement secured, the meeting was adjourned and each member went their separate ways, trying to figure out how to get by the rules placed by their King without getting caught, without it costing them too much, and without _technically_ breaking the rules … surely, a loophole had to exist for them to take advantage of …

* * *

Lying on her bed, Princess O'Lura was enjoying some time off from her duties in the VOLTRON force under the codename _Pink Heart_.

The princess was by no means unattractive … but she was hardly a foot tall, tomboyish tendencies, puffy bowl cut blonde hair, and a savage tongue … this alone would be reason for most men to head for the hills if her attention came onto them. The only reason she was made to be the colour code Pink, was because of her gender, but she made sure to compensate for this by using profane language on anyone who even slightly crossed her.

Because of her attitude and need to prove herself, she rarely afforded herself any time to herself, apart from while performing maintenance checks on her VOLTRON equipment.

In the spirit of this rare occasion, she had decided to give in to her girly urges, and read a romance novel while listening to soothing music and amidst scented candles in her bedroom, while snacking on non-fattening foods.

The book was one she had found while doing a security sweep of the castle … some unfortunate maid must have dropped it. Whatever caused the maid to drop it, Princess O'Lura decided that she would not care, and read this so-called _true_ romance novel … _The Black Paw_ sounded very interesting from what the summary on back of the book detailed …

As she read of the beginning years of this Ranma character, she almost felt bored … honestly, who wanted to read about a child? Wasn't this supposed to be a romance novel?

Then as Ranma turned five, she fumed at the audacity of his father for writing out a suicide pact and having his son sign it by way of placing a hand print on it under the belief that it was finger painting … and then the bastard took his son away from his mother to train him into the _violent_ world of _fighting_!

By the time she reached Ranma's sixth year, she was outraged and cursed loudly at no one until she calmed down at a single thought. While this novel might be based on real life, there was surely no father in the world that would be stupid and inhumane enough to throw their only child into a pit filled with starving cats, while the child was wrapped in various fish products … And they certainly wouldn't be as self-centred as to have their child sign a suicide pact in their childish ignorance… This Genma character had surely only been grossly exaggerated to garnish a certain amount of sympathy for the main character and to make less people like the father, right?

* * *

In Japan, Genma sneezed violently during his meal, spattering his vegetable soup over those men sitting across from him.

This resulted in an attempted retaliation that missed and struck other men … men with lesser mental stability.

In the end, the biggest riot in the history of the prison erupted, prisoners were committed to the hospital ward along with guards, millions of yen worth of toiletries and billions of yen in property damages were inflicted, and Genma, the instigator of the event, got another year or two added to his multiple life sentences, and was sent to solitary for two weeks. He was lucky that no one had died, or he might have faced possible execution.

* * *

With an exclamation worthy of the best yodellers in the world, Ukyo did a little stationary dance with excitement as she sat at the phone, the communications device completely forgotten where it was dangling by its cord, just barely touching the ground.

After a lot of trouble and headaches, she had finally managed to track Ranma down! Oddly, the only thing she was able to get from the operator was the address of his offices, but that would be enough!

Finally, she would be able to have him give Mousse a beating for taking advantage of her under the effects of some sort of lust dust, and putting her in the family way!

Finally, she would be able to hug him, kiss him and have him love her!

Giving the cage behind the counter a kick, which earned wild quacking from within, Ukyo set about arranging for her departure … selling the place would have to wait until she had seen how the meeting went, but Ranma would surely accept her even if she was pregnant … who was she kidding? He'd accept her even if she had gotten knocked up by an alien elephant trying to repopulate its species by sowing its oats in as many fields as possible.

Ranma would still love her … after all, they had been engaged since they were little more than five years old.

Overcome with joy, Ukyo returned to her chair and started crying … cursing her hormone-induced mood swings.

* * *

"Ranma!"

The excited squeals of five women nearly deafened the poor man, shortly before his airways were strained by the pressure of several of those women hugging him about the neck and chest.

Ranma had, as soon as he was sure Beebee was in good hands, and his mother knew the story of how things happened on the way home, gone to the dojo and erected the second Ring along one wall and sent a brief message to the other side that it was safe to travel.

He hadn't needed to wait more than a few seconds before the Ring activated again, and his conscious girlfriends came barrelling through.

Charlotte was the first to break away from the group, having also been the one to choose a less crowded spot to give the father of her unborn child a hug. Then one by one, the others also broke away, but lingered near Ranma anyway. It was Lydia who first noticed something off.

"Where's Beebee?" she asked, looking around. "I would have thought she'd be here along with the rest of us …"

"About that …" said Ranma awkwardly. "Let's take this into the living room … mother is preparing lunch, and Nabiki and Kasumi are taking the day off, this way …"

Still somewhat awkward, Ranma rubbed the back of his neck as he led his girlfriends across the garden, past the koi pond and into the open sliding door to the living room. Inside, Kasumi and Nabiki were watching TV … anime to be exact, and commenting on the plot or errors performed by either animators or colour artists.

"Oh my, guests," gasped Kasumi as she saw the group that entered, and got to her feet while smoothing out a few imaginary wrinkles from her modest casual dress, blushing for some reason. "I'll inform Auntie."

As Kasumi quickly left the living room, the other women found seats at Ranma's suggestion.

"There has been a few _developments_ since I left America," Ranma started, resorting to the Soul of Ice to keep his emotions under control. "They would have a strong impact on the group relationship, I'd say … I'll start with the least shocking, and please don't interrupt me.

"When I arrived here, I got a very warm welcome by my mother … granted, that would not be so odd seeing as I have been very busy this past time and hardly stayed in one place for more than a couple of weeks. Anyway, shortly after telling mother, Nabiki and Kasumi of my adventures, at least what they hadn't heard from Beebee when she spoke with them on the phone, Kasumi revealed to me that she has slowly over the past year started developing feelings for me … at the time those feelings started, I was still engaged to Akane, so she felt she couldn't take a chance at ruining her sister's happiness and kept those feelings to herself. Later, when I returned from Jade, she was working up the courage to tell me, but I left before she could. And, as much as I'd hate to do this to you, I would like for you all to decide whether or not you think Kasumi deserves to join our polygamous relationship."

A deafening silence immediately followed Ranma's explanation … they were probably waiting to see if it was a joke of some sort. When it was clear that it wasn't a joke, the women shared a few emotional looks in silence before Lydia nodded and took it upon herself to act as a spokesperson.

"Ranma, how do _you_ feel about _her_?" she asked gently.

Ranma, who had turned away from the group immediately after his announcement for fear of seeing disgust on their faces, returned to face them again, relieved that no such expressions were visible.

"I care about her a great deal," he admitted. "When I lived at the Tendo household, there were very few allies I could turn to, but Kasumi was always there, willing to listen and ready with the first aid kit when I'd gotten into a fight … after a time living with the Tendo family, I started admiring how she took on each household chore like I did challenges, and never complaining about how unfair it was that she was the only one doing those things in a household of six or seven. It was also sad, like watching a caged songbird … but I care about her enough to give her a chance … maybe things will develop more over time, maybe not … I hope I can at least keep her happy without robbing any of you of your happiness …"

Another brief exchange of looks occurred, and en masse, Ranma's girlfriends got up from their seats and silently went to embrace Ranma. While they were clearly not very happy about having yet another woman to share their man with, his tender moment had softened their resolve to give him a hard time about it.

"Of course we'll accept her," was one of the whispered sentences that were repeated. Another was: "As long as you're happy," and a third was: "But there had better not be many more, mister!"

This was the scene Nodoka and Kasumi entered the living room to … Ranma mostly covered in affectionate women.

Nodoka only held back a happy dance because of the tray of sandwiches and salads she was carrying, but as soon as the tray was on the table, she pulled out her celebratory fans and started a little jig, nearly knocking down Kasumi who was about to put another tray on the table, this one carrying cups and a tea kettle. Fortunately, Nodoka's control of herself was such that she could avoid this would-be accident.

The women, seeing Kasumi looking shyly on them, made room for one more and gestured for her to join them, something she did hesitantly, but happily.

However, in making room for Kasumi, the women did one serious mistake … they allowed Nodoka to see Charlotte in her apparent pregnant state, and within moments after Kasumi had joined the group hug, Charlotte found herself pulled away and twirled around as Nodoka examined her to make sure she wasn't simply overweight.

With a squeal of excitement, the elder redhead took the winged woman into an embrace and spun around, screaming about how manly her son was, and how she was going to be a grandmother soon!

Then after a minute of this show, Nodoka stopped and put a dizzy Charlotte down, and scowled at her son.

"Ranma, is there a reason you hid this from me?" she asked seriously. "When I last called, I asked if you had gotten someone pregnant, and Beebee said no."

"Actually, I think she said that none of my girlfriends had gotten pregnant," corrected Ranma from what he had been told after waking up from the nap he had taken when he was told about Charlotte expecting his child. "At the time, Charlotte wasn't one of my girlfriends … that happened after you called, so Beebee didn't lie, she merely avoided the complete truth …"

Satisfied with his answer, though only because of the bulging belly that was produced as a result of her son's manliness, Nodoka went about ushering the guests into their seats again.

"Now, on to the second development," announced Ranma, reminding everyone that he had used not yet told them the reason for Beebee's absence. "On the way across the Pacific, I decided to try and get Hanza a cure through some acquaintances of mine, and we took a quick side-trip to China. My acquaintance was apparently not all that pleased to see me, and attempted to lock me in female form by use of Instant Spring water from the Spring of Drowned Girl and an instrument called the Locking Ladle with the magical properties of locking the form of Jusenkyo curses on whomever is doused with water from it, provided they had a Jusenkyo curse. The Instant Spring water and the ladle would most likely permanently have locked me in female form, if Beebee hadn't jumped in front of me and taken the full amount of the spray. Nearly immediately after, she collapsed, and I made our escape, leaving behind not only the only known hope for Hanza's cure, but a lot of damage as well …"

"That sounds very odd," commented Brianna. "Beebee was made to withstand moisture … and the chi-tech supplying her with power isn't affected by water, so nothing should have short circuited …"

"I know," agreed Ranma. "But that's not the biggest part of the development … perhaps it would be better if you saw it yourselves … Beebee, would you come in now, please?"

From the hallway, the door slid aside, revealing a smiling Beebee.

There was something different about her, though, but what it was, those watching could not tell.

As she walked inside, the others could tell she was having difficulty, and watched carefully where she placed her feet so as not to bump into anything, and her balance seemed a tad off compared to how she was before departing for Japan with Ranma.

"Brianna, why don't you give Beebee a hug?" suggested Ranma.

Uncertain about his reasoning, Brianna did what her boyfriend suggested, and got up from her seat to embrace the former Bit Bomb.

Upon contact with Beebee, Brianna immediately felt the difference from before.

Unlike last time she touched Beebee, her skin was now warm, but not hot. The skin gave way, but resisted to touch and bounced back when pressure eased. There was a mild pulsing under the skin, and her chest expanded and contracted in breath that was clearly felt coming out of her mouth … Brianna knew these features had not been included in her original design, and there was no possible way for Ranma to completely redesign Beebee in a single day, no matter how talented he was … there was only one possible answer to what was causing all of these physical reactions, even as impossible as it sounded … _Beebee was alive_!

* * *

Author's Notes; There are a lot of things I'm not certain of when some of the information from Gold Digger is concerned, mostly because the comic doesn't offer too much information, and the official Gold Digger website (coincidentally found at www dot cheetaholics dot net) offers little information about characters, even if there is an entire page dedicated to them. What little I have written, I have pieced together from what I understood of the Gold Digger comic, and what little I got from the character profiles (by the way, there isn't anything but an image of the character and their name on most of them, unless they are main cast, and even then not all of them …).

And I don't know what the effects of the Locking Ladle used with Instant Spring water would be, I merely took an educated guess … please, feel free to inform me otherwise if you know my assumption to be untrue.

For those who hoped Genma would get himself into more mischief with Ranma, I'm sorry to say that as long as he is in those bracers Ranma made and put on him, he will not escape solitary … and no one would dare remove them without following correct procedure after what happened the last time he was in jail.

By the way, can anyone guess how _The Black Paw_ **really** came to be found in a leprechaun castle in Ireland? (Rhetorical question, no need to answer.)

Credits; DJ Rodriguez came up with the idea of adding in the reactions of other creatures, both in Jade and on Earth, to the news of Ranma's new species and title (I know this was badly worded, but I think my point got across …).

Writing Tip; By ki master. ki master brought up a good point in his review, when writing a summary of the story on this site, or any other for that matter, if you have no idea what to put there, you should not write stuff like "I suck at summaries" or "I don't know what to say", but rethink posting your story, because if you do not have the skill to write a summary of your story, do you really think anyone is interested in reading it? To quote ki master; "A summary is meant to capture the reader's attention then let the story speak for itself, not grab the reader by the throat and drag them through the murky waters of the story." I may not have the skill to follow through with this tip myself, but please keep it in mind when writing, okay?


	37. Chapter 37

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

"Okay," started Ranma after things had settled down some from the shocking revelation of Beebee suddenly having experienced Pinocchio's greatest wish, only with a different gender and age. "I have a _theory_ about how it was possible for Beebee to change into a real woman. It doesn't make a lot of sense, and may be entirely inaccurate, but here goes …

"After Brianna installed a chi-tech chip in Beebee to act as an energy source, energies from all over has passed through her. With her AI and memory drives becoming more human in behaviour, these energies started to slowly knot together, forming a sort of soul … though I haven't tested the water from Jusenkyo, I think that it is required for its victims to be alive, to have a soul that it can latch onto or else inanimate objects such as the clothes a victim was wearing or any of the things they carried with them would also change into the cursed form. This is what allowed the Instant Spring water and the Locking Ladle to change Beebee from an android to a human being, because it doesn't care about what form the container of the soul has, as long as it has a soul.

"Now, I think, based on Kasumi's diagnosis, that the sudden shock of getting a body so vastly different internally, combined with the sudden sensation of receiving all five senses and a reduced physical prowess was enough to cause her now human brain to temporarily shut down, or rather, making Beebee _pass out_. This is also the reason she isn't as graceful as she was before … she is learning how to walk again, and how to do a lot of things herself.

"That's it," finished Ranma with a deep breath. He wasn't used to going into lengthy theoretical explanations, especially in fields of science he had little knowledge in.

Looking around the room, Ranma carefully gauged the reactions to his explanation.

Nodoka was cooing over the egg containing her first grandchild, having been introduced to it while most were still calming down from the news of Beebee being alive, and did not seem upset, nor did she appear to have a different theory of how the curse was able to latch onto Beebee's mechanical body, though she seemed extra excited … probably contemplating the fact that she now had so many sources of future grandchildren.

Kasumi was alternating between cooing over the egg with Nodoka and blushing as she looked at Ranma. She did not appear to have another explanation for Beebee's body, either.

Gina was staring into space, but with a frown usually associated with deep thought, meaning she was pondering the mechanics of Ranma's theory in the many different sciences she was aware of … of course, magic was never her strong point, preferring to take those matters to her father.

Brianna was alternating between copying Gina and lifting various limbs on Beebee to make sure she had _everything_ a woman was supposed to and that everything worked properly.

Lydia was grumbling about having another woman to share Ranma with and not really caring about the hows and whys of Beebee's transformation … the former peebo had acted so human it was hardly that big a leap for her to accept that she now really was one. Lydia was more annoyed about Kasumi joining in …

Sheila was okay with the explanations and the theory, but was more occupied with trying to converse with the small people sitting inside the box on the table along the wall … the problem was that they ignored her in favour of each other … and where was that roaring laughter and applause coming from?

Charlotte was sipping the tea and eating the snacks brought out before Beebee had entered, humming a little song to herself while casting worried glances at her egg every now and again to make sure it was safe and warm.

Beebee had not made any protests, and was carefully lowering herself to the ground so she wouldn't lose her balance during the examinations Brianna performed. She would occasionally giggle and say she felt strange during the examinations, and had to explain how those feeling s were so Brianna could tell her what caused them.

Nabiki, however, was completely unaffected by the theory and news, trying instead to explain to Sheila the mechanics of Television.

With no protests to his theory, Ranma sat back down and did as Charlotte, helped himself to snacks and tea, waiting for the others to snap out of what they were doing … maybe he should force them out of it by hinting at Beebee's lack of proper clothing and how a _shopping trip_ might cure that condition ...

* * *

After everyone had come to terms with Beebee's change, and let the theory sink in without objections, it had been agreed upon that they would relax for the rest of the day so they could catch up with the time zone.

Nabiki suggested Ranma come with her to the Office the next day, so he could take a look at some of the projects they were working on. This idea was agreeable to Ranma, and he suggested Brianna and Gina come with to give their opinions on the projects … and he could not invite just the two without extending the invitation to the others. Only Beebee wanted to come in addition to the Diggers sisters, so the others agreed to spend the time in the artificial hot springs on the property while Ranma was away … Nodoka immediately offered her services as a babysitter for the egg so it wouldn't get boiled in the hot water.

And so it was that on his first night back in Japan, Ranma went to bed with seven women, and did not get much sleep at all, because not only did the other women feel Kasumi deserved to be _properly_ initiated into the "Harem," but Beebee needed to be introduced to the pleasures of the flesh, something she had not _truly_ been given due to the sensors that previously ran through her body were replaced by nerves, metal replaced by muscles, cartilage and bone, and synthetically produced skin replaced by proper skin … every sensation was new to her, which made the night very memorable to her.

When morning returned, Ranma found himself tired, and buried in a delightful pile of feminine flesh.

Not wanting to wake the group of women for fear of having to spend the day recuperating from another bout of pleasurable activities, Ranma created a shadow clone next to the bed, and replaced himself with it. There were a few unfeminine snorts, sighs, grunts and shifting from the pile of women, but thankfully none of them awoke from the exchange.

As it was still early, Ranma decided to go to his dojo to train.

As he silently wandered the hallways, through rooms and across the garden, he couldn't help but feel at peace with the knowledge that he had done a good job in building this place by hand and that if all went well, the property would be enjoyed for generations to come, even long after he had passed on … that he had secured a small bit of immortality by leaving behind something solid for his children and their children to point at and proudly say he had made.

The dojo looked different with the large metal ring along one of the short walls … not in a bad way. Combined with the written tenets of his new school of Martial Arts, the practice weapons hanging on racks and the dummies also lined along the wall, the dojo looked almost well used, even if to date only he, his mother and possibly Lydia had used it as it was meant to be used.

Every surface of the dojo was clean, and strong enough to withstand even Ranma's strongest hits without damage courtesy of a little chi-tech shield coating the surfaces, protecting it from damage and preventing dirt and such from setting, but with the option to be turned off, should modifications to the structure be needed. This little shield made cleaning very easy, and it was not possible to see it unless one had very good senses for energy.

As his bare feet slid across the surface of the floor during one of his kata, Ranma almost sighed. It had been far too long since he had been allowed to do any training in a proper dojo, and knowing that this dojo was his own only increased his enjoyment of the moment.

The feeling he got while training couldn't come close to spending time with his girlfriends, new or older, but it was still special to him.

He almost felt sad when he finished his kata, knowing the others would be up and about by now and probably none too pleased to discover that he had snuck off again … he would not have time to do another kata without being interrupted, so Ranma instead decided to go check the mail … his mother might have forgotten to bring it in during all the excitement of yesterday.

Even the feel of the grass planted in his garden felt good under his feet as Ranma crossed it for the front gate, where the mailbox was situated.

Just as he opened the gate, there was a man on the other side, fist raised in preparation for a knock, carrying a plain, brown envelope in his other hand.

Ranma was as surprised as the man, but recovered faster.

"Can I help you?" he asked curiously.

"Koki Ranma?" asked the man, finally returning to his senses from the surprise.

"That would be me," confirmed Ranma, suddenly glad he hadn't been in hybrid form for his morning training … it would have been difficult to prove he was who he said with a layer of black fur covering his body and a black tail swishing back and forth from the end of his spine.

"Special delivery for you, Koki-san," the man declared, then presented an electronic clipboard. "Sign here to receive the delivery, please."

Accepting the electronic clipboard and the pen that belonged to it, Ranma signed on the dotted line the delivery man had indicated and handed it back to him.

"Excellent," stated the man cheerfully. "Here you are," the envelope was handed to Ranma, and the hand remained extended even after Ranma had accepted the thing. "It is customary to tip the delivery man, Koki-san," the man hinted after a polite cough. The look in his eye clearly told Ranma that he was expecting something large, based on Ranma's fame and obviously large estate.

"Okay, I'll give you a tip," agreed Ranma, seeing the greed flash in the man's eyes. "Don't ask for money from a man wearing only boxer shorts, have a good day!"

As soon as Ranma had closed the gate, ignoring the angry muttering from the other side, he realised that he had not activated his mage suit yet, and sincerely hoped some of the more prudish neighbours hadn't seen him on the street in his current state of undress.

Shrugging it off, Ranma activated the mage suit as he walked inside, covering the boxers in its malleable, black material as well as the rest of him, bar his hands and head.

Due to the number of people currently in the house, breakfast was served in the living room, as it seated more, and was a little less formal than the tea room. The sounds coming from the living room were of the good natured kind, mild laughter and excited conversation.

"What are you going to name it?" Ranma heard his mother ask.

"I don't know," Charlotte replied in deep thought. "I thought of naming the baby Charlotte, but Penny said it might not be a girl, and that boys don't like being called names like that …"

"She's right," agreed Brianna. "Boys with girl names most often end up very violent, trying to prove that they aren't weak sissies … and they usually hate their parents for giving them a girls' name …"

"But, then, why aren't girls with boys' names extra feminine?" Beebee pondered aloud just as Ranma entered the room.

"Maybe girls don't care as much as boys do," Ranma suggested, and placed the envelope unopened on the TV before sitting down with the women in his life. "Besides, there's always a chance for giving flattering pet names to those who might feel slighted by their real names. That would not be true for boys … Good morning, by the way …"

"Where were you?" asked Sheila curiously. Nodoka, Kasumi and Nabiki snickered at the idea that one of Ranma's girlfriends wouldn't know where to find Ranma first thing in the morning if he was awake … it was almost common knowledge that Ranma would, after using the proper facilities, head for a place to do his morning kata, which on this property would be the dojo or garden, but as they hadn't seen him in the garden, he had definitely been in the dojo.

"Morning exercise," Ranma explained offhand, accepting the bowl of miso soup from Kasumi, and taking a bite out of the mushrooms in it. "I also needed to work out a few kinks I got during the night …"

Kasumi and Charlotte blushed, remembering what they all had done. Beebee got a faraway look as she was reliving it in her mind. Lydia, Gina, Brianna and Sheila _purred_ as they recalled it, and any other night they had spent with Ranma. Granted, the purring occurred in different manners, depending on the vocal cords and species of the four of them …

Nabiki, however, looked somewhat annoyed … this combined with the slight colouration just under her lower eyelid told Ranma that she hadn't gotten much sleep … perhaps soundproofing the Master Bedroom would be a good idea.

Nodoka was pleased, as opposed to Nabiki, over having lost a little sleep … after all, it was proof of her son's manliness that he was able to satisfy so many women in one night, and it was music to her ears rather than noise to finally have complete proof of how Manly her son was.

"Don't change the subject," interrupted Nodoka before the topic of conversation could turn to other things. "We need to at least have _some_ ideas for a baby name … after all, we don't know how long it will be until this egg hatches and we need to have some names ready!"

"Ooh! How about Candy?" Charlotte suggested enthusiastically. "Or Pecan! Or Hazel! Or Maya!"

" Charlotte, I know you love nuts and sweets, but I don't think naming a baby after them would be a good idea," commented Gina. "Children can be very cruel, and any odd-sounding name will make that child the victim of teasing unless the child has managed to gain some sort of respect or fear from other children …"

"If it's a girl, how about Usagi?" suggested Nodoka with a similar excitement to Charlotte.

"Mom, I'm not giving my children names that they feel they have to live up to," interrupted Ranma before any other similar names could be offered. The mere _thought_ of any daughter of his feeling they had to live up to the name "Rabbit" created a knot in his stomach and hatred for whomever tried _forcing_ them to live up to their name.

"Then I guess Ranma junior is out of the question …" sighed Brianna.

"Not to mention Ranko," added Kasumi.

Ranma shuddered at the idea of any daughter of his having the name given to his girl side, and how certain individuals reacted to it.

"How about Rei?" suggested Nabiki. "Or Asuka … maybe Setsuna, Makoto, Lina, Ami, Minako, Sakura, Ino, Anko, Hinata, Tsunade, Hotaru, Haruka or even Michiru? Or if it's a boy, Naruto, Sasuke, Neji-"

"Stop naming Anime characters," interrupted Nodoka sternly. Then her expression softened. "Though I _do_ like them …"

"I could agree to Rei, or Hinata … maybe even Sakura," commented Ranma. "But I don't like the boys' names …"

"How about Charles?" suggested Lydia. "Sounds dignified, and can be made into Charlie or Chuck for a nickname …"

"Better …" agreed Ranma. "Well, it was a lovely breakfast, as always. Thank you, mom, Kasumi … maybe we should think about leaving if we want to be at the office by standard opening hours …"

Nabiki quickly checked her watch, and let out a squeak as she realised what time it was.

With a desperate determination, Nabiki quickly got up, rounded the table and grabbed Ranma, dragging him off much in the same way Akane used to when they were late for school. So as not to get lost or left behind, Brianna, Beebee and Gina followed closely after offering their thanks for the meal as well.

As he was being pulled along outside, Ranma decided to at least be somewhat presentable –showing up at the office in only a skin-tight suit would not give the greatest first impression- and thus pulled an extra pair of pants from stuff space, which he then put on while moving and without slowing down. The original pair was still on the bedroom floor, having been discarded the night before.

This feat of acrobatics was lost on Nabiki who had her back to it, but the three girlfriends of Ranma who followed were impressed, even if they had seen him perform greater acts.

The bus was just pulling into the stop when Nabiki and her entourage arrived, making the brunette sigh in relief … she did not like being late for things … _especially_ things that earned her as much money as the job she had appointed herself to in the company she had founded in Ranma's name, with his money.

The ride was uneventful, aside from the numerous offended looks Ranma got from elderly women when they saw him hugging three women in an intimate manner not usually performed by mere friends or relatives. The appreciative looks some younger women cast his torso and arms, not nearly hidden enough by the mage suit, also caused some disturbance as they forgot everything else and only realised their stops had been a few minutes ago. Some men and boys were jealous at the attention Ranma got from the very attractive trio of women, and barely managed to conceal their glares.

The bus-driver was very relieved when the five of them left the bus, as this would mean less disturbances and flustered people getting off at the wrong stop.

Only a few blocks from the bus stop was a nondescript office building, reaching about twenty storeys into the air.

"This is it," declared Nabiki proudly. "The temporary Headquarters for Wild Horse Inc … five entire floors just for us and our research. To save money, I do the accountancy."

"What do you mean by temporary?" asked Beebee. Having five floors of offices and labs was pretty impressive for a newly launched business without outside backing.

"Security," Nabiki clarified. "Or rather, the lack thereof … this place is less secure than the bank Ranma keeps his blueprints in was before the robbery, and to make sure nothing falls into the wrong hands, we need to look for a more secure, defensible location."

"Makes sense," agreed Ranma.

"Then let's get to your office, Ranma," declared Nabiki and once more pulled Ranma as she started to walk, this time into the building, past the slumbering security guard in the lobby, into one of the two elevators, then pressed the button for the top floor.

The elevator quickly got to the top, and immediately across from the elevator was a desk, behind which sat a young woman chattering into the microphone on the hands-free telephone. Behind the woman, and on the front of her desk, was the golden silhouette of a rearing stallion in front of a rising sun, with the caption _Wild Horse Inc_ cut out from the ground the horse stood on … the company logo, apparently.

"-I'm sorry, Koki-sama is not available at the moment," Ranma heard her say. "I'll make a note of it … thank you …"

The woman was about to answer another call when she looked up and saw the group that had just arrived.

"Oh my!" she gasped. "The President!"

For a brief moment, Ranma was unsure if she was referring to him or someone else, but then he remembered that this was _his_ company, making him the President of it, and the receptionist had clearly not expected to see him.

"Hana, could you please call the project leaders and tell them that they have to make a presentation in Koki-kun's office within the next few minutes, thanks!" announced Nabiki before dragging Ranma off to his office down the hall, followed by Brianna, Gina and Beebee.

Ranma's office was very Spartan … no decorations of any sorts, apart from a desk, fully stocked, and a comfortable chair. It was large, though … easily fitting Ranma's car, as many as six of it, placed next to each other in two rows of three. Or perhaps two busses standing side-by-side. The view from the windows wasn't much to speak of … this wasn't the busiest area of Tokyo, so there wasn't much to see, and the other buildings around it were about the same height, so little of the horizon could be seen.

"If you plan on spending any time at the office, you should make it a little more pleasant," suggested Nabiki. "I kept from doing so myself, because with how much it turns out I didn't know about you, I didn't want to chance missing completely on your tastes."

"Okay," Ranma looked around, and spotted two doors that did not lead into the hallway, located on opposite walls with the exit between them. "Where do those doors lead?"

"Oh, the one to the right is for your private bathroom, equipped with a toilet, sink, mirror and hand dryer, not to mention a cubby with toilet paper and soap.

"The one on the left leads to my office … I thought it best to have one near your office in case you did something horribly wrong and needed help."

"What about me?" asked Beebee, looking around in confusion. "Do I get an office? Or a desk?"

"Why would you?" Nabiki asked smugly. "You weren't hired by the company."

Before an argument or tears could start up, Ranma interrupted.

"If memory serves, I never hired _you_, either, Nabiki …" he pointed out. "But if we lack space, Beebee can share my office with me … we only need a little desk along the wall with a computer and a comfortable chair."

Having understood the barely veiled threat in Ranma's statement, Nabiki made a note in her planner about getting another desk in, along with the other requested items. Even if it technically was _her_ that founded the company, she had done it in _Ranma's_ name, with _his_ money and invention … _his_ name was on all the paperwork, so there wasn't much she could use as leverage to get her way.

" The teams are here, Koki-sama, " an intercom on Ranma's desk announced. The receptionist still sounded a little shaken at having met the boss, a man reputed to have beaten one of the more notorious criminals of the country single-handedly … and the criminal was his own father.

"Send them in," replied Nabiki on Ranma's behalf. She then gently pushed Ranma into his chair, an event that was followed by Gina and Brianna seating themselves on either arm of the chair, leaning against Ranma, and Beebee reclining across their collective laps. Of course, Beebee wasn't nearly as graceful as the Diggers sisters in her act, but she got comfortable after a little wriggling that was both pleasant and unpleasant to Ranma.

It was quite a sight, one that momentarily froze the gaggle of people entering the office … one man being in such an intimate situation with three beautiful women at once.

" Iwo?" Ranma was somewhat surprised to see the former President of the Furinkan Science Club in the group, along with several other former, graduated, members that Ranma had either helped with projects in school, or gotten tips from in his own work. In fact, not a face among the large group had not been seen as a student at Furinkan.

"Good, everyone knows everyone," interrupted Nabiki sternly. "Then we can proceed to the presentation of the projects. To make it easier to distinguish between projects, the scientists have been assigned to five groups of different fields, with the possibility of taking up subjects close to their field. These groups are Commercial, Medical, Military, Agricultural and Environmental Research & Development.

"First off, we'll see what our Medical Research Team has to offer, and please skip the boring parts, such as your names and background … we have a lot to cover and I have little patience for pleasantries."

Ranma cast a mildly annoyed look at Nabiki for scaring their employees like that, but had to admit that listening to attempts at impressing him with their background in science would be as dull as watching paint dry in slow motion.

A timid young man with thick glasses and unevenly cut black hair stepped forwards and coughed to clear his throat.

"Based on what could be accomplished with the technology you invented," the man started slowly. "We have looked to various sources of fiction for ideas of what could be accomplished in the medical field of science.

"Our first idea was to make a pill composed of energy that once introduced to the system, would spread and repair any injury from mild acne scarring and deformations caused by malnourishment to hereditary heart and brain disorders, and replace any lost organs or limbs. To accomplish _any_ of this, it has been theorised that nanobots would be required, but simply by tuning the energy contained in the pill to the body it is introduced to, it will try to fix or improve the body over a period of forty-eight hours at best, making the body reach its top potential physical state. We've examined what side effects this could cause, and only came up with two … a temporarily reduced immune system, because the white blood cells will not really take kindly to the intrusive force, and a _possibly_ prolonged life-span … the pills would of course have to be _strictly regulated_, because if not, people would kill for a supply of those pills to become more or less immortal …"

"And how serious must an injury be for the pill to be prescribed?" asked Ranma … the idea was good, but he was uncomfortable about the individuals who would do anything to live forever … and he didn't like the weakened immune system side effect … a lot of serious illnesses could be contracted during the time it would take for the body to return to its normal state of alertness.

"We had not exactly thought of allowing people with a headache simply walking up to the apothecary counter and asking for them," laughed the man. "The team has agreed to the limit being serious cases … such as liver or kidney diseases normally not treatable by conventional medicine … or a severe stroke or cardiac arrest, or even a burst vessel in the brain."

"That sounds acceptable," Ranma agreed. "How long would it take to produce a prototype?"

"Well, first we would have to figure out how to make energy into pill form, and how to get it to do what it's supposed to without adding body parts to a normally healthy body or sever the connections between the brain and healthy organs …" muttered the man. "It could take as much as two years for a finished product, and even that would be the _most optimistic_ estimate I can give you."

Ranma contemplated this information, then nodded to himself.

"I already have an invention with healing qualities," he started. "When I get a tour, I'll see about finding the plans so you can use it as a starting-off point. Anything else?"

"There is the Diagnostics Machine," the man continued after taking a moment to compose himself. "It is a machine similar to both the CT apparatus and the sonar, using the Chi-tech to give a complete analysis of the patient in it, creating a complete three-dimensional image of the patient, both internal and external, allowing for a better diagnosis by doctors because x-rays can either miss something, cause sterility, or give misinformation if someone should touch the x-ray images before they are ready. With the Diagnostics Machine, none of these dangers show up, and because there's no magnetism involved, metal instruments will not be affected or disturb the readings. The body will appear in a holographic display, and the doctors will be able to select where they want to examine the patient closer without the patient needing to be undressed, shy or uncomfortable."

"Impressive," said Ranma. "And you could get a working prototype ready by …"

"A year, most likely," the man admitted. "But if this invention of yours can help the pills, maybe it could help in our Diagnostics Machine …"

"Possible," Ranma agreed. "Anything else?"

"Nothing more from Medical," the man stated and stepped back into the crowd.

"Okay, then," continued Nabiki in a commanding tone. "Next up, Military Research."

A frazzled-looking young woman with bleached hair tied in a tight bun on her apex stepped forwards.

"Taking the same direction as the Medical Research team, we got our inspiration from various sources of fiction," she opened. Pulling out a sketch drawn on a legal pad, she showed to him a stick-figure with a black helmet holding what looked like a sword with a squiggly line surrounding the blade. "Our first project is this sword … it is made up of energy and-"

"I've already made one of those," interrupted Ranma as politely as he could, given the situation. "So has Gina, here, only her version was mainly a stun-weapon."

The woman gaped for a moment, shocked not only at having been interrupted when her presentation was starting off so much better than that of the leader of the Medical Research team, but also at hearing that someone had managed to do something they hadn't completely worked out the kinks for.

"I'll share the blueprints for them later," Ranma added as a form of consolation. "Anything else?"

"Well, we thought of making cannons-"

"Done it," Ranma interrupted again. "I also attached a pair to my car, and Beebee here has two bigger ones in stuff space once she figures out how to access it again. I also made a gun … again, I'll share blueprints … maybe you can find a way to improve on them without blowing up the lab …"

"Have you made any suits of armour?" the woman asked desperately. At Ranma's shaking head, she brightened some. "In that case, we have thought up the super armour, capable of not only surviving a storm of armour-piercing bullets, but also capable of withstanding the devastating effects of a bomb up close … granted, the armour won't keep the person inside from being tossed around from the blast, but the damages to the armour and wearer would be minimal."

Ranma thought he recognised the image the woman had brought up, but it wasn't until the end of the last sentence he realised that the image was from the cover of a video game he had heard so much about … the title eluded him, but he knew it contained alien attacks, big ring space stations with large masses of land and water on the inner rim and a nasty parasitical creature that would occupy living or dead creatures alike and was obsessed with infecting other creatures … the armour he was being told about was the armour of the lead character in the game. He didn't blame the research team, however … he himself got a lot of his ideas from various sources of media fiction … they would just have to alter the design enough not to be directly copying it, which would help avoid costly lawsuits by the producers of their inspiration.

"The armour would have shielding capabilities that, while gradually losing integrity during successive hits, would regenerate back to full integrity after about twenty seconds of rest from any assault. There is a possibility of cloaking as well, but we are still working on how to make not only the armour without restricting the movements of the wearer, but how to make the armour strong enough to withstand the expected force when the shield is down-"

"Oh," interrupted Ranma. "I already figured out how to make cloaking and shielding … and my car could probably crash through a brick house without a dent …"

The woman was now starting to look very confused about whether to demand to know all her boss knew before she made an even bigger fool of herself or if she should continue with the presentation in hopes that she wouldn't be interrupted again.

She chose the last.

"The Heads Up Display will be able to track multiple targets even out of sight, and can keep track of evacuation points or designated mission locations, even having a counter displaying distance from those points, and an internal communications system within the helmet will keep anyone but those authorised to be on the frequency to listen in on the chatter. A recording system would of course store any video feed and communication and send it to the designated Head Quarters instantly, should something happen that would require documentation, such as the death of the armoured person, or an accusation of something the armoured person was supposed to have done."

"Any downsides to this armour?" asked Brianna eagerly … this sounded almost better than her own armours.

"The weight," the woman deadpanned. "We estimate that the weight of this armour, including an oxygen tank, power supply, and a compartment for medical supplies, gadgets and spare ammo would be about half a ton … there is a possibility of building in some robotics to help keeping the armour from crushing the person wearing it and keeping it from collapsing to the ground, but this would only make it even heavier and more difficult to manoeuvre … not to mention we would have to make custom personnel transport vehicles for the armoured persons, because it would be wasteful only having a single person per helicopter or car …"

"Those problems could be solved somehow, I'm sure," Ranma consoled. "Most of the equipment could be stowed into a Stuff-Space Generator, which would cut down on weight and storage space … and we could possibly coat the armour itself with another shield just barely off the surface, which would mean we could make the armour itself out of paper if we needed to and it would still be able to live up to your expectations … anything else?"

Baffled over how easily her boss had overcome the problems her entire team had not found a solution to, the woman barely managed to pull herself together.

"There was a request from the American Department of Defence for missiles-"

"_No_," Ranma interrupted immediately and passionately. "No explosives on that scale will be made by us. A missile made of chi-tech would be too unstable to control and could possibly result in a black hole, or worse, a Big Bang at the point of impact, tearing this galaxy apart in an instant … tell _anyone_ who asks that we will not make those kinds of weapons, understood?"

All in the room nodded, almost scared of the sternness of Ranma's speech.

"Good, anything else from the Military Research team?"

"No, Koki-sama," the woman squeaked and stepped back into the crowd.

"Then bring on the next team," Ranma sighed. He hated it when he made others fear him … he didn't like those who knew him to be afraid of him.

After the intimidating display Ranma had put on, there were few volunteers eager to step forward.

"Agricultural," Nabiki called out just to get a move on things. "You're next!"

The girl that most recently had caused Ranma to "hide" in Science Club by entering unannounced stepped forward, and was struggling to raise her eyes from the floor to meet her employer's.

"W-we have d-de-vised a way t-t-to f-feed-"

"Stop," interrupted Ranma. "Mio, you know me … there's no reason for you to stutter or be afraid. I'm not going to bite your head off. You introduced me to a few manga that have given me inspiration … come on, you sound like I'm the devil here to claim your soul!"

Snickering at how she had behaved in front of a tentative friend, Mio straightened up and took a deep breath.

"During the time since we divided into Research Teams, Agricultural Research has come up with a few ideas," Mio started. "We have figured out a plan for cycling elemental energy from air, light, moisture and pollution in the air into dirt or sand, making it more fertile than before … if we can make this thing, land that has until now only been wasteland, such as deserts, can be made into farmland. Our calculations have also pointed out that with the device active, the growth cycle of crops on that land will grow at an accelerated rate, bringing in as many a three times the normal harvest during a year.

"We suggest the purchase of a patch of land of no use to anyone, and using it to grow crops, as well as opening a shop or restaurant where what is grown can be sold.

"To sweeten the deal, we have already come up with an alternative to almost all known food additives and preservatives, that not only tastes good, but contains only vitamins and minerals that are good for the body. This means that any food produced by our company would sell at unimaginable rates, because nowadays people are very paranoid about what they eat causing cancer and whatnot. When the additives get the approval of the Department of Agriculture and Food, we will be able to legally market our products with the promise of no cancer produced by them."

"Excellent," complimented Ranma. "Do you have anything else?"

"We are cooperating with the Environmental Research on a project, but I'll let them explain it … if you wouldn't mind?"

"Okay … and the next team would be?"

"Let's keep ourselves in suspense about the joint project, and go to the Commercial Research team," suggested Nabiki.

Iwo stepped forward, adjusting his lab coat to look more important.

"Seeing as you've already confessed to making a car, we'll just hold off on announcing that one until we see the thing …" Iwo opened. "So we'll just skip along to the Game Console we were thinking of, based on chi-tech and ki-tech abilities.

"We haven't come up with a name for it yet, but the gist of it is a device that can project the gamer into a Virtual Reality through the use of a helmet connected either by cable or wireless to the game console … almost like the virtual world created in the movies about those machines that had taken over the world and used humans as batteries ...

"No controller will be needed on the outside, because everything the gamer is capable of doing, every movement and so on, the gamer can perform in the game … of course, any additions to skills may vary from game to game, and each game would of course include a tutorial to allow the gamer time to adjust to any changes from other games. Any injury the gamer is inflicted with is _felt_ to a weaker degree, and -"

"Wouldn't this be dangerous?" asked Gina. "I mean, if the gamer died in the game, wouldn't there be a danger of the brain believing the body had died as well?"

"No, we already thought of that, and a lot of other dangers when facing gaming," Iwo countered.

"Go on," Ranma encouraged. It was always good to know what possible dangers could show up.

"Well, there have been cases where gamers forget to eat or sleep, and subsequently die of starvation or exhaustion," Iwo delicately stated. "To prevent this, each console will be connected to the helmet, and keep track of the vital statistics of the gamer … should the gamer not be in any physical condition to continue playing without bringing harm to themselves, it will shut down the game … should a gamer try to start a game while in a severely weakened state, the helmet will only display the message for the gamer to perform the tasks it registers that the gamer needs. And to prevent people dying in the real world after they are killed in the game, or that they get injuries in the real world where they get them in the game, the mind is not fully drawn into the game, and while the gamer will feel impact as they occur, they will see a health metre in one corner of the HUD, much like most first-person games. This thing could also have military applications as training simulators, saving a big chunk of any Defence Budget because they won't waste ammo or explosives during training.

"For those who aren't that big fans of sitting still, there is a portable version that will project a semi-solid hologram of a creature, made mostly after the gamers' wishes, that can fight other similar gamers … sort of like one of those popular card-games kids play. The creatures will be able to physically interact with their surroundings, but their attacks and falls will not, meaning they could, in theory, perform tasks for their gamers as they will of course have a small amount of sentience and intelligence. The console for this type of game would be nothing more than a wristwatch, with time-keeping capabilities in addition to relaying orders to the creature …"

"Wouldn't it cause mass hysteria if one of the battles were in public between giant monsters?" asked Beebee. "Those who aren't aware of the games would think it was an invasion of some sort and either do something stupid like attempting to attack them, or run away screaming like little girls, causing others to do the same … and how can you guarantee that the attacks of those holograms won't cause any damage when you said that the holograms could interact with the real world?"

"Firstly, the AI of the hologram creature will be programmed with the Three Laws of Robotics, so it will not attempt to injure any living being, or allow them to be hurt either by action or inaction," Iwo started. "Secondly, a worldwide ad campaign will make sure that anyone with a TV or internet connection will know of the game. Thirdly, there will of course be certain restrictions for how big the creature is allowed to get, or else someone could make one as big as a mountain and use it as a private means of transport. The biggest would be as big as a bear, the smallest would be the size of a hamster."

"Then what's to stop some sick bastard from making a human creature and use it for a sex toy?" asked Nabiki, her expression clearly showing that she had not been briefed on this thing earlier.

"There isn't," Iwo admitted. "We would just have to trust the moral and ethic sense of the gamer, and if someone is caught using their creature in such a manner, there is little that could be done without passing a law against such sexual deviance and placing a monitoring device in each console to keep track of it. Many would claim the last is an invasion of privacy, so such a law would not pass on a worldwide scale no matter how influential you are …"

"Understandable …" sighed Ranma. Free will could be such a pain, sometimes … "Anything else?"

"We could make a form of Paintball game for the portable console instead of a "Partner" game, but other than that, not anything independent of the team, no …"

"Then we'll move on to Environmental Research," Nabiki cut in.

Iwo stepped back into the group of scientists, and out stepped a woman of modest build, normal hair-colour with her hair braided into a dragon-tail reaching her behind, with cherry blossoms sticking from every intersecting rope of hair visible on the outside and while she wore make-up, she also wore a t-shirt under her open lab coat with the text: _My Make-Up is Animal Friendly_.

Ranma's opinion of her was that she certainly fit into the Environmental group.

"Oil spills are, and have been a big problem for as long as boats have carried it, or wagons transported it," the woman started. "One of the first ideas our group came up with was that of a device that could absorb the spilled oil, either by sucking it into a Sub-Space generator, or converting it to energy or something else, like water or air."

"Is this the project you are cooperating with the Agricultural team on?" Ranma interrupted.

"No, Koki-sama," the woman denied patiently. "I'll get to that later. As I was saying … the energy possibly produced by this could be used to help power rescue vessels with getting the crashed vehicles to proper places for repair or scrapping.

"This matter aside for now, chi-tech and ki-tech present a wonderful alternative to fossil fuel … the car I've heard so much about from the challenge Kashima-san apparently presented you would make a good base for a new line of cars, but I'll hold off on that until the car you said you had is better inspected.

"Chimneys of almost any factory are also a big problem, but my team has come up with a solution … a filter with chi-tech that converts the pollutants into energy for the factories to run on, saving them huge electrical bills, and sparing the environment for nasty smells, toxic waters and so on … this could also be altered for other uses, such as sewage, filtering out pure H2O molecules from other foul substances, letting the water or the living creatures that live in the sewers, such as rats, pass through while of disposing the waste, harmful bacteria and parasites, possibly for energy, or to do as the Agricultural team suggested, and feed the energy into the soil … pollution would become a thing of the past if this company manages to pull through to its fullest potential, and Mother Earth would be able to start the healing process again!"

Iwo coughed politely from the crowd, shaking the woman from what promised to become a righteous rant, ending in a demand for Ranma to fund her projects.

"Sorry," she apologised. "The environment is a subject I'm very passionate about."

"Nothing to worry about," Ranma assured. "Please, continue."

"Okay," the woman stated. "This technology could be applied for other things … for instance the production of a less bulky, clumsy or intimidating Biohazard Suit that creates a protective, absorbent shield around the wearer, turning toxins, parasites, viruses or radiation in the air into fuel for the shield, or it could be used to neutralise those harmful elements if the shield was on long enough, turning dangerous areas into liveable space … nuclear waste could be disposed of without harming the environment or any unfortunate individuals … medical personnel could move about an area of infectious disease without worry of spreading it, carrying it or being infected by it …"

"I'm guessing this isn't the project you're cooperating with the Agricultural team on …" Ranma sighed. This meeting was starting to become boring … couldn't Nabiki have gotten them to prepare some illustrations, charts and so on in addition to their speeches just to make them more interesting?

"I'm getting to it now," the woman replied as patiently as any interrupted scientist could. "The planet is starting to grow overpopulated … in two hundred years or so, our current food production capabilities will not be sufficient. Granted, the devices you've been informed of thus far could extend that number by ten times as much, if entire apartments, shops and offices were made from Stuff-Space generators, and farms started building vertically as well as horizontally, but why go to so much trouble when we have at least three planetary bodies available for terraforming and subsequent colonisation?

"With the help of a large supply of seeds, a large supply of water, and a machine that would enrich soil to promote growth, we could send a barrage of this kind of package across the surface of our chosen planet, create an atmosphere around it suitable for sustaining human life, and with the seeds and machine, create breathable air and drinkable water!"

"How do you plan on getting all of this to the selected planet?" asked Ranma. "We don't have any rockets to use, and even if we did, any unscheduled launch would send up a red flag all over the world, thinking it was a nuclear launch, which could lead to World War three before the first stage of the launch was complete."

"That is the only snag we've hit," the woman admitted. "Until we have everything in order, we won't dare mention this to any space program, because they might order it put on ice to get to the solution before us, or they would claim the credit for it and be renown as the nations that propelled our world to new greatness …"

"We might know someone who could _deliver_ the equipment …" Gina hinted, mouthing the name _Stryyp_ to Ranma and Brianna. "And no International Space Program would find out about it until the package has been delivered and a positive feedback has returned. That way, Wild Horse Inc will get the glory, and would be able to start making Mankind's dream of spreading across the solar system a reality."

Ranma sat in silence for a moment before nodding. He was impressed with the amount of ideas his scientists had come up with during their short employment with his company … some of the ideas were even halfway to finished products, something very few other fresh companies would be able to boast.

"Right," he finally stated. "Why don't you all return to your jobs, and while Nabiki gives me a tour we'll see about getting closer to finishing some projects … okay?"

Getting a general noise of agreement from the scientists, Ranma watched as they left his office.

"Okay, girls," Ranma said. "Where do we start?"

* * *

And so the group spent the day, touring the various Research Teams and helping them figure out what few kinks they had run into with their ideas.

A few of the problems would take time to work out, but several projects were almost completely cleared out of the way, and Beebee had gotten her desk and chair … a computer would be put in during the week.

The five of them were tired when they returned to the Koki estate.

Upon entering the living room, the quintet discovered the elder Diggers, the parents of the two that were part of Ranma's "Harem," and they were having tea with Nodoka.

To make things worse, the mothers were discussing their future grandbabies, while Dr Diggers was making a heroic effort to appear interested and not sulk over his latest student befouling his daughters and the possibility of them having to carry babies for him.

He was the first to spot the arrivals.

"Ranma, _student_, we need to review your skills so that I know what more to teach you!" Dr Diggers hurriedly declared as he got to his feet.

Ranma, catching the man's need to get away, excused himself from his girlfriends and directed his sensei to the dojo.

"So, what would you want me to start with?" Ranma asked politely.

"The basics," Dr Diggers suggested distractedly, looking through the sliding door at the living room to make sure he couldn't hear the conversation most likely taking place within. "Let's start with telekinesis … while you do that, you can tell me where you took my daughters today …"

There was a very obvious suspicious tone in Dr Diggers' tone as he ended his sentence.

Nodding, Ranma sat down in the classic meditation style, and levitated himself a foot above the ground. Around him, the training weapons left their racks and started dancing around. Then he told about his day from breakfast 'til return from the office.

On the TV, a plain, brown envelope lay forgotten.

* * *

Author's Notes; I would like to apologise at once for the horrid mistake I made in the last chapter. As CatOnFire pointed out to me, it is the VAULTRON force, not VOLTRON … there was apparently some sort of play-on-words that I somehow missed, and (to make excuses) the site I got my information from is terrible in its volume of information … As I said, only a few characters has anything more than their names, and it is very difficult to find out anything else without reading through every issue for every chapter. Again, I'm sorry for those I may have offended with this grievous error.

PS: No, I am not being sarcastic …

I know this chapter isn't very active, but some filler chapters are needed … if things had been action all the time, it would have gotten monotonous. We all knew that a chapter being nearly fully a filler had to show up again sooner or later, and probably will again. And I apologise for the ending of the chapter, I know it's rushed, but I couldn't think of anything to fill in the space with, so it will have to wait until I get to it in the rereading.

For those who should be interested, I have reread and reposted "_ A Place of Belonging_," a Pokémon crossover I posted sometime in 2004. Should someone be curious about why the same has not happened to this story yet, it is because the other is barely a tenth of the length this one is currently, and this one is not yet done, but rest assured, I am making slow but steady progress.

While I'm at it, I might as well ask, what is the proper suffix for an employee to use while addressing their employer? I used –sama because it is a formal version of Mr or Mrs, but am uncertain of its accuracy in this context.


	38. Chapter 38

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

Around the living room table the next morning, Ranma was much more rested … apparently, the Diggers daughters were reluctant to engage in nightly activities with their parents only a few walls apart, so they had convinced the others to settle for cuddling, which was an activity that no one got mad at the man if he fell asleep while performing.

The women hadn't lost much sleep, either, but they were a little tenser than the morning before.

"What's that?" asked a groggy Nabiki, having spent a portion of the night trying to think of a few project ideas for the various Research Teams, if only to have the opportunity to one day boast of having had a hand in one of the inventions that made so and so many billions for the company.

Following the direction the brunette's finger was pointing before it was moved to join the others on its hand in politely shielding the others from seeing a yawn, the others in the living room saw the brown envelope sitting on the TV.

"Oh," Ranma realised. "It was delivered yesterday … forgot all about it what with the baby names being thrown around and the trip to the Office …"

Waving his hand, Ranma summoned the envelope to him with telekinesis. Strictly speaking, the waving wasn't necessary, but for some reason it helped placate those not capable of performing this technique.

"Wonder what's in it …"

"Only one way to find out," Nabiki grunted, tired, yet curious, and in no mood for playing games.

"Not true, but I'll open it anyway …" Ranma chuckled.

Pulling on the cord conveniently placed along the top end, the paper tore, allowing the content to spill out into Ranma's lap.

It was a letter.

Plain and simple … nothing more.

"Who would write you?" asked Nodoka curiously. "Almost everyone you know is in this room."

"It's from _Happosai_," said Ranma curiously.

"What does _he_ have to say that he wouldn't come express in person?" asked Nodoka, knowing what the old lecher would do.

""Ranma-san"," Ranma read aloud. "I have done many things that I am not proud of, many of which I also did to you. I have of late come to realise that I had some problems controlling my temper and interests, and thus did many foolish things. I am glad to hear that you not only did not suffer lasting damage from our last encounter, but also started cleaning house … so to speak … I will see what can be done to squash your father's plans of escape. There is little I can say or do to prove myself worthy of forgiveness, but I ask nonetheless that you at least consider it. Humbly yours, Happosai. PS: Ask your mother if she's certain you are Genma's offspring, because from what I've heard of your recent success, I severely doubt it … though you could have gotten it from _her_ side … PPS: Since it's _your_ company, I'm sure I don't need to add this, but I will anyway, some inmates are talking about your success, money and such, and are as I'm writing this plotting how to go about stealing your money and any weapons your company may have laying about." The letter was dated three days ago …" Ranma commented, then his eyes widened. "And it is written on stationary from the prison _Pops_ was sent to!"

"I wonder what would make them place the two most dangerous criminals of this country in the same prison, given their common history …" Nabiki pondered. "At least he won't be raiding my underwear drawer for a while …"

"Oh, that letter reminds me," Dr Diggers started. "We have brought a few messages of our own … Gina, the Shadow Elves sent a message stating that they wanted to have you visit … it was apparently very important, but they didn't want to say what it was other than having to do with _history_."

"The werewolves wanted to have an audience with Ranma at the closest convenient time," added Julia to the person in question. "So did the Kryn, actually. They didn't want to say what it was about, but I didn't get the impression that you've done anything to offend them …"

"I don't think I have time this week to squeeze in a meeting," sighed Ranma. "How about Friday in my dojo, around noon in this time zone? You can transport them from Gina's and Brianna's house through the Ring … just select the only other Ring from the menu on the console, and press enter, then step through … Could you relay the message to them?"

"I can stop by the Werewolf Clan when I drop Gina off on Jade," Dr Diggers agreed.

"And I can tell Stryyp when he comes to pick up Britanny from training," added Julia. "Which reminds me, we should get going … my students are probably tearing up the lawn trying to impress each other as we speak …"

"On that note, I think I should get ready to get Kim Possible," Ranma continued. "Now … _how_ was I supposed to get in touch with Wade?"

"Leave a message on Kim's site, and he'll contact you," Beebee reminded him. "I'll do it right away."

Beebee got up from the table to get to the nearest computer, brushing off imaginary wrinkles from the pink bathrobe she wore over her borrowed undergarments.

"Be sure to ask for Kim's exact coordinates, so I can teleport there to pick her up," Ranma added. "Thank you!"

While Beebee was off contacting Wade, Ranma and his girlfriends said goodbye to the elder Diggers, and Gina before Dr Diggers teleported the three of them back to Atlanta to drop Julia off and proceed to Jade.

It was an emotional farewell, even if the possibility of Gina returning that very night was big. It would be the first time since the "Harem" was assembled that one of its members would be that far away from the others, and farewells were also given to Ranma, who was going to pick up Kim somewhere in America, and would proceed to go after Dr Drakken and Shego, not to mention that he would have to try and bring Ryoga and Akane to justice for freeing those criminals.

"I've got the coordinates!" declared Beebee as she stumbled into the living room. Though she had gotten used to walking, doing so quickly was still not in her grasp, leading to instability. "She's off on Cheerleading Camp in preparation for a contest this summer!"

"Great," Ranma replied, accepting the note Beebee had written the coordinates on.

"Wade did say that there was some disturbance with the reading because the Cheerleading Camp was so close to Telecommunications Camp, so the coordinates may be off by a hundred feet, but that shouldn't be a problem according to the map he sent," Beebee added.

"Okay," confirmed Ranma. "I'll be back as soon as I can … why don't you all go shopping or something? Maybe spend the day in our hot-spring?"

Beebee and the others nodded sadly before Ranma gave them all a kiss goodbye, and teleported, the coordinates of his destination in mind.

Apparently, Wade's calculations had been a little more off than he had thought.

Looking down, Ranma saw a lake directly below, about a hundred feet away, and approaching fast.

Flipping in the air from his diagonal position, which he had somehow ended up in during his journey, possibly because of lack of knowledge of the area or something similar, Ranma touched down on the surface of the water, making barely a ripple in his three-point landing.

He hadn't done this since he was in Jade, but he was luckily not as rusty in water-walking as he had thought he would be … but then, it was simply a matter of spreading his weight over a large area of water, as well as using similar principles to stilts to keep him from breaking the surface.

While this may not have been as strange in Jade, due to the countless magic-users and creatures that roamed it, the sight of a man walking on water was not a common one in America, or anywhere else on Earth for that matter.

It was therefore understandable that the scores of teenage girls on shore were shocked silent.

Approaching the shore, Ranma managed to find Kim rather quickly … she was the one that wasn't all that shocked, having lived a rather interesting life according to the stories she told when he had her and Ron as his guests.

"Ranma!" she called as he stepped onto the muddy shore before her Cheer Squad. "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't Wade tell you?" Ranma asked, only to be interrupted by the musical beeping from the Kimmunicator.

"What's the sitch, Wade?"

" Just calling to tell you that Ranma will come by some time today to pick you up, so you can both go after Dr Drakken, " said Wade.

"He's already here," Kim corrected.

"And your coordination calculations were a bit more off than you said," Ranma added seriously. "If I wasn't as skilled, I could have drowned when I teleported in over a hundred feet off the surface of the lake."

" Sorry, " grimaced Wade. " The disturbances from Telecommunications Camp on the other side of the lake must have been greater than first assumed … "

Ranma shook his head. He should have taken the time to more thoroughly examine his destination … used the Clairvoyance technique to scout out the terrain and verify his landing area before teleporting … if he hadn't been hesitant about using the technique because of invasion of privacy, he would have been able to get a smoother landing.

"No problem," Ranma assured. "I should have backed up your coordinates with some research of my own … I was in a rush, so I'm partially to blame … maybe you have more accurate information about Dr Drakken's whereabouts?"

" Count on it, " Wade affirmed. " Uploading GPS map to the Kimmunicator now … there, Dr Drakken has remained in position for the last three days, five kilometres off the Japanese Eastern coast, starting from Tokyo. The Coast Guard has been reluctant to approach it after a warning from Global Justice went out about the persons the ship contains, so they have not had reason to move. "

"Okay, then," interrupted Kim, before Wade could start a scientific discussion with Ranma. Listening to two geniuses having such a discussion would not be much fun, and could go on for ages once started. "I'll go change into my mission gear, and then we can get going!"

As Kim dashed off to her cabin, Ranma suddenly got a sense of dread, and looked over his shoulder, where several girls now held copies of girly magazines with his picture on them, proclaiming him to be the richest teen in the world that didn't _inherit_ his fortune.

A large aura of greed and lust washed over Ranma as the teenage girls turned their eyes from his image to him and back again to confirm his identity.

Then they started approaching him, checking their equipment and outfits as they walked.

Granted, not all of the Cheerleaders were approaching, but a large portion was.

Seeing that the lake was no escape for him, and running inland would only delay him when Kim was done changing her clothes, Ranma took the only route he could … _up_.

Using telekinesis to levitate, Ranma rose into the air, stopping when he was about thirty feet above ground.

Below him, the gold digging cheerleaders were calling out their declarations of love for him, screaming at each other about seeing him first, and pulling each other's hair to prove their point … some even went to the extreme by tearing at others' uniform.

Had he not been the target of their lust, and had he not been in love with several other women, this sight would have been very tempting to accept and approach … however, he was not about to do what Akane had accused him of so many times. He would _not_ cheat on his girlfriends, nor would he make it _appear_ like it, so he remained stationary even as one or two of the Cheerleaders attempted to jump up to him, using one of their horizontal opponents as stepladders … they didn't come close enough to warrant concern.

For several minutes, Ranma floated above the girls, even as some became less than decently dressed in the brawl taking place. Some had even managed to roll into the mud along the water, and were making quite the spectacle of themselves.

Finally, Kim emerged from her cabin in the same clothes she wore the last time he saw her, as he was dropping her off in Middleton with Ron.

Not giving the girl time to ask questions, Ranma raised her to him, and teleported them away to the closest place he was familiar with … Gina's lab. They could take the Ring from there and save him some energy for the approaching conflict.

At Camp Gottagrin, formerly Camp Wannaweep, the brawling Cheerleaders were unaware of Ranma's departure, and that the boys at Telecommunications Camp had powerful telescopic lenses on their digital cameras, and a project of their own choice to complete this summer … most of them ended up making semi-pornographic films with titles in the vicinity of "Cheerleaders Gone Wild."

In Gina's lab, Ranma looked around for a moment before approaching the Ring.

Nothing had changed, and Dao even stood at the same monitor on the far side, running diagnostics on something … probably the two Beta-Hurtbots that were missing from the table …

* * *

Meanwhile on Jade, Gina found herself climbing a seemingly endless set of stairs with an old Shadow Elf called Ecko.

Gina was wearing more or less the same clothes she wore the last time she found herself in Jade, namely her jacket, hat and a green body suit … only this one was cut off mid-thigh and at the elbows, and had her initials printed vertically along her right hip.

At the moment, she was sorely regretting not taking her mother's training more seriously, because after the first three-thousand and forty steps she was sweating, gasping and panting profusely … but she wasn't going to complain about this, she was one of Ranma's girlfriends, and didn't want it to seem like she needed his help every step of the way. Besides, her loud panting and running sweat pretty much did her complaining for her … when she got home, she was definitely going to ask Ranma for lessons in keeping herself fit because this was not a situation she wanted to find herself in anymore …

"Just a little _further_, Ms Diggers," Ecko assured her from half a score steps ahead of her. "I assure you, you won't be _disappointed_ …"

Gina was about to argue that she hardly thought _anything_ would be worth the coronary she meant would arrive any moment, but then remembered her resolve to suffer in silence … except for her huffing and puffing … she wasn't able to hold those in no matter how stubborn she was.

That is, she thought nothing was worth it until she saw something a few hundred steps further … the mountain wall seemed to have fallen somewhat, revealing a metallic purple, horizontally curved structure beneath it, like an erect cylinder, but the _exact_ shape it was could not be determined due to the small portion of it revealed.

A glow was visible where the stairs ended, showing a doorway with light on the inside of the structure. Along the walls of the structure, what little was visible, was a circuit-like band of colour similar to the inside of Bain.

"Jinkies!" Gina could not help but exclaim. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Truthfully, Gina, I'm not quite sure _what_ you think it is …" Ecko confessed. "The ancestors of my people, _the Shadow Elves_ first discovered this relic when Jade was settled during the last age of _magic_ on Earth. Its purpose and origins are still an _enigma_ to us, and yet this construct, and those like it scattered under the ground throughout the realm, sustain our way of life! You, Gina, are the _first outsider_ to see this relic, our most _guarded_ and _protected_ secret. _You_ were invited here because of your discoveries inside the artefact "Bain" … and your skill in decoding their meanings. We summoned _you_ here, because you are our _best_ hope of solving our _oldest mystery_ …"

Pausing at the doorway, Ecko waited for Gina to catch up.

"So, Gina …" he started as soon as Gina was within a few steps of the doorway. "What do you think this place is? Our only use for it has been as an _entrance_ to the Undercity …"

"A _long_ time ago, I first heard of an _Ancient_ race of builders called the _Nomad Artificers_," Gina explained as she paused to regain her breath at the last step. Maybe she hadn't been in as poor shape as she thought if she managed to get her second wind so quickly. "These guys existed a _really_ long time ago … they were around just after the _dawn_ of our _universe_ … maybe even _before_ … ever since I heard about them, I've _searched_ for signs of their existence … clues to what happened to them and why they _disappeared_. I've learned _two_ things so far … _One_: they were trying to build something … something _big_! So big they had to build a _planet_ for a "workbench" and huge technical sites like _this_ one for "tools" … _Two_: they had to keep on the move. Something kept _interrupting_ them, something that caused them to abandon _centuries_ of work when it showed up … _forcing_ them to start all over from scratch somewhere _else_ …"

Ecko nodded and entered through the doorway, motioning Gina to do the same.

On the other side, Gina nearly started crying as she saw another set of stairs, spiralling downwards along the wall, making it appear like the stairwell was a tube and leaving a large opening in the middle until they disappeared out of sight, in all probability continuing for a long while. The walls inside contained many more of the circuit-like lines, very similar to the interior of Bain.

Sighing at the injustice of it all, Gina turned to her guide.

"Would you mind if I take some _photos_?" she asked, pulling out the required device. "I may need to _analyse_ some of the details around here _later_ …"

Ecko paused in descending the steps for a moment.

"Photo …?" he pondered, trying to place the word. "Oh, yes .. a camera, pictures, _technology_ … If you _must_, you may … but please keep them for _your eyes only_ …"

"Master Ecko?" Gina could not help but ask. "Why all the _secrecy_? If I may ask …"

"We have our _reasons_," Ecko assured her. "Which you'll soon learn … but _chief_ among those reasons is _fear_."

"_Fear_?" Gina asked, surprised. "My _mother_ once said that the _Shadow Elves_ are possibly the most _powerful_ nation on _Jade_ … Who could _you_ be afraid of?"

"_Everyone_, Gina … and for _very_ good reasons," Ecko chuckled grimly, and lowered the hood from his cloak. "If our enemies _knew_ what you _will_ know … But you are _not_ our enemy, of that I'm _sure_. For I sense that we are _kindred spirits_ … ever since I can _remember_, I've had a thirst to _discover_ to _explore_, to seek out the unknown and make it _known_ …"

"Yeah, me too," Gina agreed. "I guess you were right, then … we are _two of a kind_."

A pregnant pause followed as they continued to descend the stairs, Gina snapping photos every few steps for later study, and after a short while, Gina decided to end it.

"So, you're an _archaeologist_?"

"If that's the _Earth-Born_ name for what I do … _yes_." Ecko confirmed.

"I- I thought you were a _wizard_," Gina commented, remembering having heard something like it about the Shadow Elf.

"Everyone needs a _hobby_," Ecko replied in a friendly chuckle. "Yours is _technology_, I believe …"

"Good point," Gina agreed, not noticing the distortion of air along the wall above her.

"Now, let's _continue_," Ecko interrupted. "If we go _this_ way, we'll be _retracing_ the steps of the first _elf_ to venture down here …"

"Wait, did you hear som- GAH!" Gina's question was interrupted as a red creature pounced on her, knocking her back on her behind rather unexpectedly.

Recovering from her fall, Gina noticed a white face hovering close to hers, sniffing her scent. It almost looked like a fox … had it not been equipped with a head shaped like an arrow's head when seen from above, an extra set of front paws, and a rather angular design between the white face, feet and tail tip, the body, including most of the slim, cat-like tail, and pointy head, was red … it was almost as though it was a creature of artificial design, not natural …

And it was rather _friendly_.

"Ack!" Gina exclaimed as it seemed the creature was trying to kiss her, knocking her glasses askew. "What in the _world_? What _is_ this thing?"

"Ah … I was _wondering_ when one of them would come to _"investigate" _you, Gina …" Ecko chuckled. "This fellow is a _Pau_, one of our _landlords_ … although I _am_ a _bit_ surprised that it's not as _shy_ to you as they tend to be with _my_ people … but, then again …"

"Wait-wait …" Gina interrupted, getting up and holding the Pau a bit from her body, but it was apparently not enough, as the creature proved by licking Gina's face as she spoke, much like an affectionate puppy. "Back up … _landlords_? What are you _talking_ about?"

Master Ecko smiled kindly and continued walking down the stairs. "When the first elf ventured down into these caverns, he was greeted by a _Pau_ … much in the same way _you_ were …"

"Oh," said Gina in understanding, even as the Pau in her arms had managed to get closer and snuggled against her chest, to which Gina could not help but object to in a whisper, telling it to not get _too_ friendly, before she continued to voice her train of thought on the subject at hand. "Then _they_ were here _first_ … I guess that _would_ make the _Pau_ your "_landlords_," then … Hold it, you said "first elf" … didn't you mean "first _shadow elf_"?"

"No," Ecko disagreed. "No mistake … I meant _elf_. You see, Gina, _before_ we made these caverns our home, before this _Great Undercity_ was _built_ …" at this point, the two entered a huge cavern, as dark as night, with a few select lights here and there to show where dwellings were, and a bright light near the ceiling of the cavern. All over the walls, Circuit bands were shown in the dim light. It was an awe-inspiring sight that would have left Gina speechless, if not for her dedication to the subject Ecko was approaching, and the creature that still refused to leave her arms. "… before the _Great Invasion_ of the legendary _Shadows_ eons ago … my people and our _cousins_, the _elves_, were _one_."

"Jinkies!" Gina gasped in surprise. "What _happened_ to you, then?"

"You shall see," Ecko assured her. "It's _better_ if I _show_ you …"

"Okay," Gina agreed. "But after we're done, I wonder if I could _explore_ your _city_? As far as _underground_ dwellings go, this one's _titanic_!"

"Indeed, the Undercity is a _wonder_ …"agreed Ecko, and gestured up to the white light up near the ceiling of the cavern. "For example, that _light_ … it _nourishes_ everything it touches with _energy_. While in its glow, you will never grow _tired_ or _sick_. You will never grow _hungry_ or _thirst_ … We call it the _Infinity Engine_ …"

"Good _Hoopty Doopty_," Gina couldn't help but gasp in awe. Taking a closer look at the light, Gina discovered something … several small shapes hovering around it on fairy wings. "Master Ecko, _look_! There are _Pau_ all around it!"

"_Yes_," Ecko confirmed. "They seem to be responsible for _maintaining_ the engine … When the first _elf_ came here, he _knew_ he had discovered _paradise_! But this paradise also had its _"forbidden fruit" _… You see, this area is only the _first_ chamber …"

"You mean … there's a _second_ Undercity?" Gina asked, feeling silly for doing so … at least the Pau had allowed her to deposit it on the ground, where it was rubbing against her leg like a cat.

"Not quite," Ecko corrected. "The second chamber was found shortly after the Undercity was built and settled. It's much _smaller_, but much more _significant_ … Inside this second chamber, our "_Pandora's Box_" was found … the gem of the _Dark Ones_ … _"Dain" _… the summoner of the _Shadows_."

In the middle of the small room stood two tapered square pedestals, extending like stalagmites and stalactites towards each other, leaving a gap of a foot. Between them, suspended in a beam of energy, was a familiar shape.

"Hey!" exclaimed Gina as she saw it. "Isn't that the gem _Tirant_ had? The one that contained the ruins of the Nomad Artificers?" she then noticed the difference. "But … it's _blue_ … Tirant's gem was _red_!"

"Very observant," commented Ecko. "This gem doesn't belong to the _Artificers_, Gina … it belongs to their _enemies_, the _Shadows_, and when we activated it all those many years ago, the Shadows _felt_ it … and came here to _find_ it! It is my guess that the Nomads had _stolen_ this and another gem from their enemies, hoping to unlock _secrets_ that their single gem could _not_. The _Artificers abandoned_ this place when they sensed the Shadows entering this dimension …"

"Of course!" Gina exclaimed, catching on to how things had transpired. "And when you activated "Dain," you set off a _beacon_ that guided the Shadows _straight to you_!"

"Thus beginning the _darkest_ chapter of Jade's history," Ecko finished. "The Shadows enslaved every _living_ and _unliving_ soul on Jade … forcing _everyone_ to _dig_ … to search for the exact location of "Dain" … and only _we_ knew _why_." Ecko walked up to the stone wall, and placed his hand against what looked like a crack. "The Shadows were getting _closer_ to "Dain" and to _us_ … our fate was _sealed_ … for even if the Shadows spared us after finding "Dain," the rest of Jade would surely condemn us for bringing the Shadows' wrath in the _first place_ … That is, until we found the _third chamber_ … and the _Shadow_ imprisoned therein …" pressing his weight against the slab of rock, it moved, and a section of the wall opened up, revealing a stasis field with a slumped creature in the middle.

"Wh- What?" Gina gasped, eyes widening as she saw the creature. It looked like a thick stick figure, only its legs were missing, torn off if the jagged end at the waist was any indication. "I've _seen_ one of _those_ before! _That's a **Betaphantom**_!"

"… _interesting_," commented Ecko. "For _this_ Shadow has been _suspended_ in this _prison_ since _before_ Jade was settled, captured by the _Artificers_ no doubt … For you to _recognise_ it can only mean that your _Betaphantoms_ and the _Shadows_ are _one in the same_ …"

Gina didn't say so, but she was starting to get an unsettling feeling in her stomach. This series of revelations now seemed to be building up to something _bigger_.

"When our people found this _Shadow_, we were _desperate_," Ecko continued, staring sightlessly at the Shadow, his sights aimed more on the mind's eye than his physical ones. "Our _beautiful Undercity_ would be invaded and we were _helpless_. The Shadows were immune to _all_ forms of _magic_ … no dragon, mage or power we knew of could _hinder_ them …

"But we knew a _spell_ …" said Ecko. "A spell that would grant us the properties of whatever we sampled … we sampled the Shadow … we gained its protective immunities … our time as "_Rock Elves_" had perished, and from that moment on, we had become … "_Shadowed_". As _Shadow Elves_ we _lost_ our talent for _magic_, but gained the _enigmatic_ abilities of the Shadows. _Nothing_ can hide from our eyes … and yet, we can hide _anything_ inside impenetrable darkness … To the slaves of Jade _searching_ for us, we were beyond reach. We were safe, but the Shadows _persisted_. They drove their slaves _harder_ …

"And so, while Jade _suffered_ for our mistakes, we hid in the safety of the _darkness_," continued Ecko, fully immersed in memories. "… An _unforgivable_ crime … but what made it _worse_ is that we had the means to repel the Shadows _all along_ … if only we had _asked_ for them …"

"Asked for _what_?" Gina wondered aloud. "Asked _who_?"

-Paf-

From somewhere around her ankles, Gina heard the sound, and looked down to see the red creature that had followed them from the stairs.

"The _Pau_?" Gina asked, and got a nod from it. Feeling slightly silly for speaking to what could appear to be a dumb creature, Gina crouched down to be closer to its eye-level. "You guys know _everything_ about this place, don't you?" the Pau nodded again, slightly more energetic than before, almost waiting for something. "Including where the Artificers kept their _defences_?"

The Pau nodded again, and darted off to the side, where a crack came down diagonally along the wall, ending at what looked like a pebble barely a foot off the ground.

-Klch!-

The Pau pressed a paw against the pebble, and suddenly the entire section of wall split apart in a roaring rumble that shook the remaining walls, revealing a gaping red abyss stretching far beyond sight both up and down, the only signs of walls being glowing yellow streaks along them.

Just before the Pau, a path of rock remained, reaching for a glowing circle of yellow energy nearly in the middle of the gigantic opening.

"Jinkies …" Gina gasped, but it was mostly drowned out by the sound of the suddenly shifting stone starting to settle.

"And so it was _eons_ ago," Ecko explained as the noise died down. "When the Pau opened this _same portal_ for us … leading us to the _fourth chamber_ … the _workbench_ of the Artificers … at that _moment_, we realised that the Pau weren't merely _pets_ left behind by the Artificers, but, perchance, helpers … or more …"

"A-amazing," Gina stuttered, starting to feel overwhelmed at the amount of information she had been given about the people she had searched for clues about for most of her career. "… but … _familiar_ … Why is it that every time I see their technology, I always feel like I've seen it _before_?"

Master Ecko walked out on the path, and stopped in front of the glowing ring. Gina followed him until she could start to make out shapes in the light, hovering just above the ground. The shapes were very familiar … she had seen many people carry them around, especially on Jade.

"Those are _weapons_!" she gasped in recognition. Master Ecko nodded in confirmation.

"We _crafted_ them with the Pau's help, using the most simple tools in this chamber," he explained. "Weapons which _obliterate_ the ether of magic on contact … weapons that no Shadow could _possibly_ resist … weapons that no Shadow, or _Shadow Elf_, could possibly _wield_ …"

They were magnificent, the weapons floating just above the ground … intricate, yet simple in design, glowing in a nearly supernatural light … swords, spears and naginata of several types …

"_"The Artefact-Weapons of Jade" _…" Gina muttered, looking at the weapons in awe. "_You_ made them with Artificer technology!"

"We gave a _few_ of these weapons to the Shadows' slaves," Ecko elaborated on Gina's deduction. "Resulting in Jade's _liberation_, and the start of everyone's _fear_ of our Artefact-Weapons."

"So _that's_ the reason why my mom said you were the _most powerful_ people in the realm," Gina realised. "But if everyone _knew_ you guys can't use those weapons, every _evil-doer_ on the _planet_ would try to raid you for those devices …"

"… _And_ a few _good-doers_ as well, Gina," Ecko added.

"So _that's_ why …" Gina muttered to herself. "But why did you tell me about all this? When you first invited me, I thought you wanted to show me a few _clay pots_ or something, not reveal the _quintessential skeleton_ in your people's _closet_ … and one _more_ thing, if the Nomad Artificers had such _powerful_ weapons-making gear, why didn't _they_ use it?"

Turning away from Gina, Ecko sighed. "Gina, when we _first_ opened the fourth chamber we found _more_ than an artefact forge. We found the _owner_. She was suspended in _sleep_ … a sleep no magic could _possibly_ awaken her from … she slept for _centuries_ only to awaken _this year_ … Just before the _Tournament of Arms_."

"A- an Artificer?" Gina asked, voice trembling with shock and emotion. "_Alive_?"

"When the _Ancient One_ awoke," Ecko continued. "She asked me to find _you_ …"

"_"Ancient One"_?" asked a new mirthful voice from the side. Looking to the side, Gina saw a woman standing on a small, round platform of nearly transparent energy. She was wearing very pale blue robes with purple lower edge and sash, and a wide hooded cloak of the same colour that covered the upper part of her face. Under the robes and cloak, a purple body-suit was seen, merging with purple boots. Her hair was white, and though no wrinkles were visible, her face was still aged.

Standing on another such platform next to her, was what looked like a Pau, only this one had no visible eyes on its face, just ram-like horns curling out from just above them. Its eyes were located on its stomach. Hovering at shoulder height on the other side, was a metal orb, similar both Subtracto, the companion of the Princess of Shangri-La, and to the Security Force of Bain.

"Come on, Master Ecko," the woman continued, well aware of Gina's surprised scrutiny. "I'm not _that_ old … I'm –Uhm- Hmmm … Well, maybe I _am_ … _ancient_ …"

The platform came to a stop just before the stone path, and the woman lifted her head, revealing her face with a kind smile.

"Well, well," the woman started. "Hello, Gina … it's been a _while_ …"

"You're … _really_ … an _Artificer_?" Gina asked, not entirely caught up with the situation.

"Oh," smiled the elder woman mysteriously. "I'm that and a _lot_ more, Gina … I'm one of the _six_ that _built_ this place! I'm – er – uhmm … maybe it would be better if I show you …" lowering her hood and lifting her cloak, the woman started rummaging around for something. "Ecko? Gina's going to need you in a second … could you stand behind her?"

The Shadow Elf complied.

Pulling out something brown, and something shiny, and slipped them on her head.

Looking back up at Gina, the young woman was shocked to see glasses like hers on the face of the elder woman, with a cracked lens, and on her head was a tattered hat otherwise identical to her own.

Realisation was close to there, when the elder woman added a comment in Gina's usual perky tone.

"Jinkies!"

The last thought Gina had before darkness overcame her, was, "I'm _old_!"

* * *

Stretching, Gina groggily pondered at the dream she had just had.

The bed was nice, warm and soft, but it wasn't as nice as she had gotten used to lately … not having another warm body next to her was almost strange.

But why had she gone to bed alone, and why was she still wearing her clothes?

Yawning, Gina stretched all limbs as far as they could, taking up all the space of the bed … that was the only thing that was good about being alone in the bed … more elbowroom … but it was _lonely_ …

"Gina …?" a feminine voice called out gently. Still not completely awake, Gina didn't really place the voice, and went with the name with the biggest chance of being the right one.

"Brianna," she yawned. "Y- wouldn't _believe_ th' dream I had …"

Opening up her eyes to see the expectant look on her sister's face, Gina was shocked to see herself, old.

"ZOINKS!" she accidentally gasped. "It wasn't a _dream_! _It's the future "**ME**" from the **past**_!"

"Good morning!" Elder Gina greeted, holding a green computer disk between her fingers. "Sleep well?"

"Where am I?" Gina asked, suddenly nervous. "W-what's going on? What do you _want_ from me?"

"You're just _full_ of questions, aren't you …" Elder Gina laughed. "Let's start with the one you haven't asked … "Am I really you forty years from the future?" … well, how about _this_? Number _One_ on _"The List"_: That time in Atlantis with Garen … _and_ Tanis …"

"**GREAT GOOGLY MCMOOGLY**!" Gina exclaimed, blushing bright red and covering herself up even whiles fully dressed. "Sh-she _is_ me!"

The disk the Elder Gina had been holding suddenly landed on the sheets before the shocked Gina.

Curious, Gina picked it up.

"A _present_," Elder Gina added for explanation.

"Wh-what's this?"

"Just a little harmless gift from me to me …" Elder Gina said cryptically, but then decided against remaining mysterious. "It's a new _kernel_ and _operating system_ for your warp field computers. If I could pass _one thing_ to my young me … _that_ would be … _it_!"

"Wait …" Gina interrupted, confused. "A new _OS_ and _kernel_? On a _3.5 Floppy_?"

"Sorry," apologised Elder Gina. "I couldn't remember if we switched to _gravatomic disc-bubble_ media yet … so I decided to play it _safe_ and stick it on a _720 kilobyte_ disk."

"But …" stuttered Gina. "_My_ kernel and OS takes up _900 terrabytes_!"

"_Bloated code_, dear," giggled Elder Gina. "Bug-ridden, too …"

"Wait, you mean to _tell me_ …"

"Don't feel so _shocked_, Gina …" Elder Gina giggled. "_After all_ … if _you_ went back just a few years … you'd code _circles_ around your _fifteen_-year old self …"

"Good point …" Gina agreed. "But … but, _jinkies_! There are so many other questions I want to _ask_ you! What happens to me? How did I end up becoming a _Nomad Artificer_ millions of years in the _past_? How in the _world_ did I manage to keep my _figure_?"

Elder Gina sat down on the bed, and casually turned to her younger self.

"You can't _honestly_ expect me to endanger us by _revealing_ to you info that you shouldn't know, _can you_?" asked the Elder Gina before leaning in conspiratorially. "Well, except us keeping our physique … you did that with our continual regen-cell therapy … But you already guessed that, didn't you … you still need to get more calcium, girl … not that you'll listen, anyway …"

"Can you at least tell me about Ranma, then?" Gina asked desperately. "Will we be _happy_ together? Who will get his next baby after the egg hatches?"

"_Ranma_?" the Elder Gina asked, puzzled. "Who on _Earth_ is that?"

"Ranma, a _weredinictis_, recently appointed _Weapons-Master_ of Jade, the man I _love_ and _share_ with _six other women_!" Gina exclaimed. "It's not something you just _forget_, you know …"

"I can _honestly_ say I've never heard the name Ranma," Elder Gina confessed, perplexed. "And I would _never_ have shared my man with _anyone else_ …"

"How is _that_ possible?" pondered Gina.

"Perhaps something happened during one of our adventures with time and space …" the Elder Gina theorised.

"That's _it_!" Gina exclaimed. "On at least two separate occasions, we've sent someone or something very far back into the past! Either of them could have caused a shift in the timelines that changed the universe as _you_ knew it! It could even have merged several other timelines after we performed the banishments, which would explain how you knew of the … _incident_ … but nothing concerning Ranma …"

"We could spend the next _decades_ discussing this," the Elder Gina interrupted. "But we don't have the time, Master Ecko was here moments before you awoke to remind me of as much. Do you have any other questions not concerning the deviations from the world _I_ knew?"

"Did you sleep in _suspended_ animation all that time just to give me this _disk_?" asked Gina, holding up the object in question.

"_No_, silly," corrected Gina. "I slept so I could _go home_ … _though that may no longer be an option_ … this was just a _short wake-up_ to stretch my _legs_ a bit … after you _leave_, I'm going back to sleep … in _forty years_, I _wake up_, and try to go _home_ … I hope … and if there _is_ no home for me, then prepare yourself for a permanent _houseguest_!"

The last comment caused the two Diggers to giggle some.

"Well, then I guess it's time I leave," Gina concluded and got up from the bed, pulling on her jacket and hat, then as a joke added. "Wish me _luck_!"

"Gina, don't _worry_ about the future _too_ much," the Elder Gina assured. "Our life of _adventure_ is just _beginning_ … if that _too_ hasn't changed … if you'll still go on the _"big trip"_, it won't be for a long time … what you've seen so far will only have been the _tip_ of the iceberg … but as with all things, it will be _rough_ before it gets better … No matter how _hopeless_ it seems … it _isn't_. Whatever you do, _don't give up_!"

Sighing and adjusting the cracked glasses, the Elder Gina smiled in an assuring manner.

"Well," she started. "This is good-bye … Master Ecko is waiting to take you back _home_ … if we're lucky, the next time we meet, you'll be me …"

What Gina never heard as she left, was the Elder Gina conversing with the metal orb, expressing her wish that her own future never comes to pass.

* * *

Stepping through the Ring after Kim, Ranma was satisfied to find the girl admiring his dojo and the garden visible through the open sliding doors.

A quick scan showed that there was no one home, which would allow the two to leave without insulting anyone by ignoring them.

Stepping outside, Ranma pulled the car from stuff space.

"This place has improved since last time," Kim commented as she opened the passenger door.

"I can't take credit for it," Ranma commented. "It was my mother, Nabiki and Kasumi who were responsible for the gardening work while I went on a trip with my girlfriends and my sensei … I just supplied the money and instructions for where they could plant trees and flowers, they improvised the rest of the work."

Ranma climbed into the car, and booted up the onboard computer. Kim sat down as well, and closed the door more or less the same time as him.

"Do you have a cable on that thing?" Ranma asked, indicating the pocket on Kim's pants that held the Kimmunicator. "I need to have the coordinates uploaded for the global positioning device to work."

Bringing out the Kimmunicator from her pocket, Kim pressed a button at the top, and a cable extended from it, and connected to the Onboard computer's Universal Serial Bus port. The screen on the Kimmunicator showed the image of a sheet of paper moving from one computer to another through a line, with a percentage count below rapidly approaching one hundred.

With a beep, Ranma's computer displayed the new coordinates uploaded from the Kimmunicator.

"Then let's get going," Ranma announced. "I'll show you what this thing can _really_ do!"

With a whine from the jet engines, the car took to the skies, but soon returned to the same height of the street lights and following the streets at speeds that would make a jet look like a tortoise-drawn cart in comparison. The only reason the sound barrier was not broken, despite the extreme velocity, was the chi-shield surrounding the car dampening the effects around it.

Those that managed to catch sight of the car lost it before they could follow its path, and those that didn't catch sight of the car wondered what that sound was and why loose pieces of loose garbage started blowing down the street.

To Ranma, it was a very fun experience, both because of the thrill of going fast and because it was a great way to test his reflexes and the manoeuvrability of the car.

Kim was _not_ as thrilled, clinging to her seat and praying that they wouldn't crash with the next high-rise they came to.

This was how the trek through Tokyo went, even as they crossed the bay and continued the pattern on the other side before they got out of town and onto the ocean.

But even open water was no comfort to Kim, as Ranma made it a game to trace the water surface, barely touching it with his car, even as the water rose and fell. Had they taken the time to look back, they would have seen the vacuum created by the car sucking water into the air in their wake.

There was another purpose for Ranma's low altitude, other than fun … he wouldn't be detected by radar by staying that close to the ground … or _water_ … Ranma was certain that Dr Drakken had radar on his ship, and the less warning he had of their arrival, the less time he would have to mount a defence, because _this_ time the megalomaniac knew someone would come and would be better prepared, such as having manned weapons, unlike last time.

After a while of flying, a spot appeared on the horizon.

The spot quickly grew and grew until an aircraft carrier was visible … with more weapons on it than normal ones carried airplanes. Missile launchers, torpedo launchers, 380 millimetre gun turrets … ooh, _laser turrets_ and racks for _depth charges_ had been added since the last time!

There was no danger of the boat trying to move away, not only because of the speed Ranma was using, but also because all anchors were lowered into the water, even if there was no chance of them reaching the bottom this far out.

Unfortunately, Ranma had not taken into account that there might be a _lookout_ somewhere on the ship specifically looking for objects that did not show up on radar, and it was _fortunate_ for him that he noticed the fire behind one of the missile launchers, giving him enough time to steer clear of the incoming missile that harmlessly crashed into the ocean a nautical mile behind where Ranma and Kim had been.

This was the starting gun for the rest of the weapons, and soon Ranma found that he had to use a great deal of concentration to manage avoiding the hail of projectiles aimed at them.

As they had passed over the runway of the ship, Ranma flipped open the plastic covering of a button, and pressed it while plunging the car towards the surface of the ocean.

Kim did not find this funny at all, not having seen Ranma's action and thinking that they had gotten hit. Luckily, she wasn't in hysterics, merely frozen up while clinging to her seat.

"Keep your panties on," Ranma sighed just a moment before impact.

-Sploosh!-

Instead of the tragedy Kim had imagined, nothing happened, apart from the outside suddenly getting a very deep blue-grey hue and less objects to see.

The car tilted back to what passed for the correct, horizontal angle, and turned, letting Kim see the keel and anchors of the ship.

They were under the water …

"Relax," Ranma assured, checking the Onboard computer. "I've got enough air in this car to last us at least two days … we _should_ be done long before then …"

-Blip!-

"Incoming torpedo," stated Ranma amusedly. Swerving the steering wheel, the approaching streak of bubbles zoomed past to disappear in the darkness below. "Checking for life-signs … five hundred and four … though the five hundred seem weak … almost _fake_ …"

"Drones!" Kim gasped, still not entirely comfortable with their current situation. "Dr Drakken can make synthetic henchmen called Synthodrones!"

"They're copies?" asked Ranma. "No real consciousness? Not really alive?"

"Right, and not very resilient to punctures," Kim added.

"That changes a few things," smirked Ranma.

Pressing a button on the back of the steering wheel, two shapes rose on the front of the car … and fired blue blasts of energy towards the surface.

Fire blossomed from the top of the ship, but very little sound filtered down through the water, and even less through the shield surrounding the car, making it nearly completely silent within the car, except the sound of Kim's slowly calming breath.

As what looked like several kegs fell into the water all around the ship, Ranma pressed another button on the steering wheel, and the car accelerated greatly, bringing them closer to the ship, and under it.

Just as several white, frothing fountains of water blossomed into the air around the ship, a black shape joined it, firing a storm of blue blasts of energy, each one striking a weapon of some sort and destroyed them or incapacitated them.

A few passes around the ship without being fired upon proved to Ranma that it was at least safe to land, and did so on an undamaged bit of the flight deck.

When Kim came out of the car, she collapsed to the ground and looked like she was about to kiss it until she realised how filthy it was.

"Come on," Ranma laughed as he stowed away the car. "I'm not that bad a driver! We got away from a _war-zone_ without as much as a scratch on us!"

"Never fly like that again!" Kim threatened, but then noticed something missing. "Where'd the car-"

"No time to dawdle," Ranma interrupted. "There are still over four hundred and fifty drones left, and a chief portion of them are directly below …"

What was left unsaid, was that some were at that moment climbing the stairs to get onto the flight deck.

"Down we go!" declared Ranma just before punching a large hole in the ground with little effort.

Grabbing Kim about the waist, Ranma dropped down the hole, and crashed down amid a horde of Synthodrones, several of which _burst_ from the pressure created by the impact between Ranma and the floor, leaking their green slime oozing all around their deflating balloon-like shells.

"Well, well, look who decided to _drop in_," sneered a male voice from behind the drones. Rising into the air just high enough to be seen over the seven-foot tall, bulky drones on an airplane elevator was Dr Drakken, and next to him was Shego. "Wait a minute, where's the buffoon that usually follows you around, Kim Possible? Grr … I can't ever seem remember his name … Oh, never mind … I really must thank you for leaving us alone for long enough to build this army, it will be most helpful in taking over the world once we've gotten rid of you …"

"Sorry," replied Ranma. "I have _other_ things to do than chase after colour-coordinated brats trying to get attention … I have a business to run, and a love-life to keep track of, you know … and I need to keep fit to keep up with my girlfriends, so I need to train … then there's a baby on the way and we're trying to figure out names-"

"Enough of this banter!" interrupted an irate male voice from behind Ranma. "_FOR **ABANDONING** AKANE, DIE_!"

The synthodrones parted way to let Ranma see Ryoga and Akane standing along the wall of the airplane hangar inside the ship, where they all were at the time. The two were chained to the wall with chains long enough to reach all over the hangar, seemingly, and sleeping bags had been laid out beneath the attachments to the wall.

The bandana-clad young man rushed in, dragging the chain behind him without thinking about it, intent on killing Ranma where he stood.

"Ranma, you _perverted thief_!" screamed Akane just before rushing in herself, mallet raised in the air. "_Stealing_ the designs of Shego-san and claiming them as _your own_ while making _billions_ on them! I bet you _seduced_ her into telling you about them, _didn't you_?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Ranma as he ducked under one of Ryoga's fists. "I met those people _months_ after thinking up my inventions, and I've got video evidence of Shego breaking into my safety deposit box to steal my plans!"

"Save some for me!" declared Shego, and leapt over the drones to join the chain-duo in their fight against Ranma. "Synthodrones, take care of Kim Possible!"

"Hey!" interrupted Dr Drakken indignantly. "_I'm_ the evil genius, here! _I_ give the orders! _Synthodrones_, attack _Kim Possible_!"

And so the entire hangar of the ship became one big battlefield, with Ranma, Ryoga, Akane and Shego fighting each other, and Kim fighting the hordes of drones. To make things even more interesting, Dr Drakken pressed a button on a remote control, making several drone-operated laser turrets drop from the ceiling.

As Ranma ducked a green-glowing fist, he was forced to twist somewhat more to the right than normal to avoid the laser burst that would have struck him otherwise.

Taking advantage of his prone position, Akane brought down her mallet, the mallet that never failed to hit him when she was angry, aiming for his stomach. She was very surprised to find Ryoga under her now splintered mallet instead … Ryoga was also surprised for that matter.

"I can't believe I need to resort to this to keep up with all of you …" commented Ranma grudgingly as he swept Shego's feet from under her, while at the same time dodging laser blasts fired from several turrets. Suddenly, Ranma started to shrink, and grew fur … a tail popped out of a hole in the back of his pants, his ears moved slightly higher and changed into those of a cat, and his hair shrunk in to blend with the rest of the fur, apart from a tuft just above his forehead. "Okay, bring it on!"

"What the-"

"I'm a werecreature," Ranma explained shortly, and kicked Ryoga in the stomach before the pig-boy could even register his approach, sending him crashing into the hard metal wall. "All thanks to Happosai and his _former_ short temper …"

"_Monster_!" Akane gasped, flinching as she saw the difference between the man she once knew and the one before her.

"_I_'m the monster?" asked Ranma, raising his brow and leaning his head aside to avoid a blast of laser. "_You_ were the ones to free two notorious criminals from a High Security Prison. _You_ run around hitting people who disagree with you, using a mallet to get your point across rather than words. And _you_ are apparently in a relationship with a man who turns into a pig with the application of cold water, which would make your relationship with him _illegal_ in most countries half the time."

"_PERVERT_!" screamed Akane, not at all pleased to have her own faults aired like so much dirty laundry. That Ranma may be right or that she had broken the law made no difference … he had insinuated something perverted about her and Ryoga, and _he – would – pay_!

Another mallet, larger and sturdier than her normal one, appeared in Akane's hands, and rapidly swung at Ranma.

From the side, Ranma felt Shego rushing in, fists blazing, seeking to take advantage of Ranma's distraction.

From behind, the thundering steps of Ryoga approached rapidly, clinking of chains on the floor adding to the noise.

From the upper left side, Ranma could feel the power of a laser blast being charged up.

There was no reason for Ranma to resort to extreme measures, and to use some of his more _exotic_ techniques in that situation was not necessary.

Instead, Ranma stopped the mallet with one hand, and stepped back so Shego's glowing hand got caught in the mallet. With his other hand, Ranma swatted the laser blast into the throng of drones surrounding the struggling Kim, easing her burden a little. Dropping to the ground at the appropriate time, Ranma scissored his legs, and thus removed Ryoga's balance, sending him flying into Akane, and onward into a puddle of what used to be a syntodrone.

Kim was not having an easy time. Sure, her mastery of twenty different styles of kung-fu helped, but when fighting hundreds of opponents at once, with blasts going off all around her, it made things all the more difficult. The only thing that really made any difference was where she aimed her opponents while throwing them … if she got lucky, the drone she threw would either tear holes through some more, or her actions would have caused a laser blast to miss her and take out a few drones instead.

She got lucky at one point, when she managed to lure a big chunk of the drones onto an airplane lift just as one of the laser blasts ruined the controls for that lift, sending the drones to their end at the closed hatch up top. It rained green slime for several minutes after, and Kim made sure to stay away from there, lest she slip in a puddle.

Oh, how she wished she had brought her _suit_ to Cheerleading Camp … that thing would have come in very handy in catching laser blasts and throwing them away where she wanted … and it came equipped with a shield! Sigh … she shouldn't have packed in a hurry … _haste makes waste_ … sure did …

Things had gotten slightly out of hand where Ryoga was concerned. He was standing still, very sombre, and head lowered so his face was hidden in the shadows of his bangs.

Ranma recognised this stance, and did not look forward to what he knew would come.

"_SHISHI HOKODAN_!"

There it was, rising into the air, a giant ball of energy blew a hole in the deck of the boat, and parts of the sides.

The sight of it was enough to halt all fighting for a moment, before Akane dragged Shego away from the point of impact.

Ranma, being the logical in this situation, knew that a blast of that size would cut the boat completely in half when it impacted … not including the pressure effects it would cause, which would no doubt scatter the remains of the ship over the entire area.

He could not let that attack land.

Leaping to the centre of the impact point, Ranma kicked Ryoga out of the way and pulled out his gun, firing a few times into the now descending ball of energy, but the impacts did nothing to stop it.

Seeing what little the weapon did, Ranma stowed it away, and focused his telekinesis on the blast that would kill most of the living persons onboard, forcing it to slow down.

It was slow-going, but just moments before returning to the altitude from where it had originated, the Shishi Hokodan stopped.

Ranma was sweating by now, straining to keep his focus on forcing back the ball with the impact weight of several tons.

"Ranma! _DIE_!"

Ryoga's war cry made Ranma do something he would rather not do … _absorb the energy_, because he would not have time to move the blast away far enough not to cause harm in the short time it would take for Ryoga to reach him, and he did not delude himself into thinking he would be able to keep focus on keeping the blast in place while he fought Ryoga.

With a cry of pain, Ranma took the foreign energy into himself, filtering out the depressing emotions it gave off.

But as his own reserves were mostly full already, Ranma could not contain the energy for long, and needed an outlet, fast!

Without really meaning it, Ranma released the energy in beam form, ploughing Ryoga through several synthodrones before he hit the wall and passed through it.

-Splosh!-

"Ryoga!" Akane, distress clear on her face, jumped out the hole after Ryoga, and as a second impact on the water could be heard, a stray laser blast, unintentionally fired after being shifted from the pressure caused by the various high energy emissions, severed her chain.

Ranma knew Akane couldn't swim, and Ryoga in pig form would not be able to save her, so he jumped over a few blasts and leaned out the hole to see if they were there.

Not even bubbles remained.

Not wanting to trust appearances alone, Ranma created a clone, and performed his Clairvoyance technique to seek out Ryoga and Akane.

His vision revealed the two, half buried in loose sand beside a pyramid, struggling to get out while cursing his name in high pitched squeals for cheating. And whatever Ryoga squealed was likely to be along those lines as well …

But at least they were _safe_ … Kasumi would not have been pleased if he had inadvertently hurt or killed her sister …

Dropping the technique, Ranma noted that his clone had engaged Shego in battle, and that several laser turrets were missing from the broken ceiling.

Seeing Dr Drakken buried in a crater of technology along one wall, Ranma could only guess that one of the stray blasts of laser had set something off close to him, sending him into some equipment that gave way under the pressure of his body.

Spotting the remains of a jar at the blast's impact point, and some squares with small dots on them, Ranma knew what the man had been planning to do.

Based on description, those squares would be mind control chips. By placing them on the forehead of the victim, the one who put them there would be able to command the victim around with unquestioning loyalty. The mad doctor must have planned on placing one of those on Kim, and one on him when they were knocked out from the battle they had fought … apparently, Dr Drakken was very confident in the theory that quantity would overcome quality.

Deciding to at least make sure Dr Drakken wasn't _severely_ injured, Ranma went to him instead of helping his clone, or ridding Kim of her problems.

On the alert for any sinister trap, Ranma almost laughed when a weak, shaking arm reached out from the crater, mind control chip between thumb and index finger, attempting to slap it onto Ranma's forehead … fortunately for Ranma, Dr Drakken was shaken from his flight, and not even close to Ranma's speeds even at full health, so Ranma intercepted the chip and returned it in retaliation. Kim had after all added that she had used chips like that to make her twin brothers more docile when she babysat them, so it wouldn't harm him unless he told the man to do something dangerous.

The dot on the black square started glowing red, meaning it was active.

"Drakken," Ranma commanded sternly. "You are to disengage the laser turrets, and call off the attack on Kim Possible! Immediately!"

"As you wish," replied Dr Drakken monotonously, and got out of the crater. As he wandered down to where the control had been placed when he was locating the chips, Ranma thought that because of his staggering gait it looked like the blue man was intoxicated.

Shortly after the blue man found the control, the turrets that remained returned to their hidden position, and ended their firing.

To end Kim's fight quickly, Ranma pulled out his gun, again, and fired it along the edges of the crowd surrounding the fighting cheerleader, splattering several synthodrones and easing her workload. Of course, just after this, Dr Drakken ordered the drones to halt their attacks.

By now, Ranma's clone had taken care of Shego, and bound her so she could not escape … a set of power suppressors attached to her forearms.

"Drakken," Ranma commanded, indicating his clone, who was standing over Shego. "Go to my clone, and allow him to tie you up … we will return you and your associate to the proper authorities, now."

"Okay," replied Dr Drakken.

Ranma couldn't help but wonder where the _pep_ Kim told him about was … but, maybe that attitude had been Dr Drakken's orders at the time, for his slaves to be cheerful, and since Ranma had given no such order, mechanical behaviour was the standard setting.

"What did you do?"

Ranma turned to Kim, who was covered mostly in green slime, and sported one or two tears from close encounters with shrapnel during her fighting. She had approached him as he gave Dr Drakken orders, and so had not seen the glowing red dot on his forehead.

"Mind control chips," Ranma replied. "He planned on using one on me, and I placed it on him instead … he's a bit more cooperative now, don't you think?"

"You don't plan on _keeping_ him that way, do you?" asked Kim dubiously.

"No," Ranma assured her. "Just until he's in custody of Global Justice, again."

"Alright, now, would you care to tell me why you grew _fur_ and a _tail_?"

"I'm a species of lycanthrope called a Weredinictis," Ranma explained carefully. "I'm the only one there is, for now, and I only turned this way because of a _spell_ gone wrong. Is there anything else you'd like to know?"

"What's this I heard about a _baby_?" asked Kim, glad to have the chance to question Ranma on friendly terms without Ron annoying them. "Last I heard, you didn't even have an official girlfriend, and that was only a few weeks ago."

"I don't think there's a delicate way to explain, so let's just say she found me asleep and asked me to impregnate her, and due to my dream at the time, she thought I agreed," Ranma rushed. "She's a Harpy, by the way, so the egg is already out and will probably hatch soon … we have no idea about the specifics around Harpy procreation, because she is the only one alive, and she was _created_ by some time travelling dog as a guard …"

"You also mentioned girlfriends …" continued Kim. "_Plural_."

"Yes," confirmed Ranma. "I've got seven girlfriends … Beebee, who has turned into a real human since last you saw her. Lydia, who I believe you met during your last visit. Brianna and Gina Diggers, they are sisters, scientists and adventurers. Sheila, she's a Werejaguar, and a member of the Northern Edge Guard on Jade, which is a sort police in a parallel dimension. Then there's Charlotte, the Harpy, she is slightly child-like and sweet. And finally, Kasumi Tendo, the elder sister of one of my _former_ arranged fiancées … and if you're wondering how this can _legally_ proceed, there has been made a special exempt for me, because I performed a great service for Japan in capturing my father, and was given some privileges, legal polygamy being one of them … my girlfriends all, among themselves, agreed to share me, so I am not two-timing anyone, just in case you wondered …"

"Have you invented anything new since the last time?"

"Personally, I haven't invented _much_ since then," Ranma confessed. "But my Research Teams have come up with several ideas that were being developed as we speak. I really think we can change the world for the better … I have a list and some product sketches back home that I can show you later …"

"Maybe you could convince Wade to help," Kim suggested.

"I think I'll keep that in mind for the cases where we aren't able to work things out ourselves," Ranma agreed. "Now, the question remains, what mode of transportation will we use to get the colourful duo to Global Justice?"

"I'll have Wade call them for a pickup," Kim suggested. "And we can do that _teleport_ thing to shore, because I'm _not_ riding in a car with you behind the wheel again!"

"What if I promise to not do anything fancy, and slow down when we get to dry land?"

"_Promise_?" Kim asked, scowling at Ranma for any signs of falseness. Ranma nodded. "Okay, but _I'm telling your mother if you break your word_!"

Chuckling nervously, Ranma pulled his car from stuff space, and chucked the two prisoners in the back, grumbling about the mess his interior would be covered in by the time he got back … whatever that green slime was, it was probably not easy to clean … _if only_ he had done to the interior of the car what he did to the exterior, and to his house …

After Kim had entered, Ranma started the change of modes, and the car rose into the air.

About five hundred metres from the ship, Ranma stopped the car, and turned it around, facing the ship. The two chi-cannons rose from the front of the car again.

"What are you doing?" asked Kim.

"Making sure Dr Drakken doesn't get the chance to use his ship again," stated Ranma conversationally. The cannons, for that's what they were, started glowing at the end, but didn't fire.

"Is something wrong? They aren't going to _explode_, are they?"

"No," Ranma assured Kim. "I'm just building a big enough charge to evaporate the ship in one round without letting the wreckage sink to the bottom of the ocean, where some of Dr Drakken's inventions may be salvaged, should they survive the explosions and the pressure from the bottom of the ocean."

-Fwoo-BOOOOM!-

The sight of two large blasts of energy striking the outer lengthwise thirds of the ship impacting was astounding … like watching shooting stars, if shooting stars caused explosions large enough to leave a three hundred metre radius gap in the surface of the water.

Nothing remained of the ship.

Kim was awed, and terrified.

The explosion had appeared to head straight for them, but had luckily receded before it got that close … but still … that such a harmless-looking vehicle had destructive capabilities of that magnitude without the help of proper explosives or nuclear devices was scary. And that it wasn't picked up by radar made it a very good vehicle for terrorism, which would have worried her if it hadn't been for the owner and driver.

And so, the car turned back around to head for land, while Kim contacted Wade, informing him of the success of their mission.

* * *

In Gina's lab, Dao was standing before one of the many supercomputers found there.

The doors opened with a hydraulic hiss, and Dao turned to see his crush and employer, Gina, enter.

"Hello, Dao," she greeted cheerfully. "Did anything happen while I was away?"

Thinking on his feet, Dao found this to be the perfect chance to make Ranma look bad, and perhaps have Gina leave him. "Ranma popped in to use the Ring …" he stated. "He had a _redheaded girl_ with him that I don't know … but other than that, I _finished_ the analysis on the soil sample from _Aebra_ … I filed the report in the _archive_."

Seemingly not hearing the first part of his conversation, Gina smiled gratefully.

"Thanks!" she exclaimed. "I've been putting that off _forever_! Now, _where_ did Ryan drop off that _Relic Data_ he had when he was here last?"

"I think I saw it near your station monitor," Dao replied immediately, looking at his own monitor. Ryan had, before disappearing, complained about how the _top minds_ in the field, using the _best equipment_ money can buy hadn't even put a dent in the "puzzle" as it was called.

Looking over his shoulder, Dao saw how Gina solved the "puzzle" ten seconds after she put it and a disk into her computer.

The large holographic monitor before her flared to life with bright pink colours, showing a planet encircled with various squares with lines that ran to the side of the monitor, where text was found.

"Hotcha!" Gina exclaimed in celebration of her own genius. "It looks like a blueprint, design or plan …" she commented as she took a closer look. "I _suspected_ as much when I first saw the data _weeks ago_, but there wasn't enough even for an _educated guess_ of how all the pieces _fit_ … Too many "_leaps of faith_" were needed to get from _one_ point of the puzzle to _another ..._ _unless_ you _truly_ knew the way the _puzzle's designer_ thought … now, to figure out what it's supposed to be …"

"It's the _Magic Sun_, Gina," Dao interrupted, hoping to score some more points in her book by supplying her with information.

"Huh?"

"It's the Magic Sun of my home," explained Dao, coming closer to look at the design. "The realm of _Yl'Dahjim_ … Just after the _dawn of the universe_, the Nomad Artificers created _Yl'Dahjim_ and placed our _ancestors_ there, _or so the legends says_ … It was a _Paradise_! Their _gift_ to us was the great and powerful _Magic Sun_! Sustaining us for _eons_ … Thanks to the _Magic Sun_, we never needed _food_, _water_ or _warmth_ …"

As Dao explained about the Magic Sun, Gina couldn't help but think how similar this Magical Sun was to the "sun" in the Undercity. They both had the same properties, but sustained different people in different realms.

"… _All_ Djinni powers came from the light of the _Magic Sun_," Dao finished, unaware of Gina's drifting thoughts.

Gina's thoughts were wandering around the possibility of some day in the distant future she would be going back in time, billions of years, and become one of the Nomad Artificers, the ones who did all those incredible things and created all that astounding technology.

However, her opinion of time-travel was that it was now limited to very short distances, because the incident with a certain _evil_ time-travelling dog and his pet human had made such a mess out of the Chronospace … that incident might even be the reason she was in a relationship with Ranma … her elder self had never even _heard_ of him, which would be very difficult to believe with the attention he was drawing from the world. It was possible that her time-travelling adventure had somehow caused a few dimensions or timelines to seamlessly merge, which meant that people who knew nothing of those in the other timeline could have suddenly become best friends or mortal enemies without ever having known anything was different.

She eventually came to the conclusion that she needed to take a look at this Magic Sun, and her best chances of doing so rested in Uhm Di Turrok, or as it translated into: the halls of the _extremely_ dead … sure it had moved after she had visited it with Penny, but someone had to have found some trace of it since then, in which case, it would be posted on the _Explorers' Society Database_ …

Doing a quick check on the Database, she found that it had indeed been discovered, and laid claim to. It was currently in India, the Horseshoe Cliffs of the Ajanta Temples. _Team Elite_ had registered the site, but had as of yet been unable to get in.

"Well, it's decided," Gina declared to herself. "The Ajanta Temples are where my next _Archaeological Expedition_ begins. Inside waits the _Ancient Djinni_ who can take us to _Yl'Dahjim _… _I hope_ … Wanna come with, Dao?"

"Er …" Dao stalled. "No thanks … I think I owe that guy money or some such …"

"You sure?" asked Gina. "We could use the _powers_ of a _Djinni_ in that _death trap_ …"

"Gina," Dao started. "You should know that our _Legendary Djinni Powers_ have been _vastly exaggerated_ over eons … I'd be screaming for _your_ help before long if I went … I am quite _content_ to do my part here in the _lab_, where it's safe … Now, if you'd excuse me, I'll arrange for your _flight_ and _equipment_ for the _trip_ … you'll start from Japan, I assume …"

Gina smiled and thanked Dao before dialling up the only other functional Ring on the one in her lab, and stepping through.

* * *

Author's Notes; I know I've taken a big chance by coming close to directly copying the events of the Gold Digger series in this chapter, but it is an important event in that series, and I can't ignore those even if Ranma is involved … at least I've taken a few artistic liberties in describing the scenery and such, even if the spoken part is _almost_ directly copied, with a few modifications as the Author of the Comic can't seem to remain consistent with some names of characters, titles and places. And I know I could have shortened at least the first half of the adventures of Gina to more of a summary, but that wouldn't be half as entertaining.

Please realise that quantum mechanics is not my strong point … there most likely _are_ flaws in my theories concerning them, but they will have to do for now, until I can get a better explanation for how the Ranma universe, the Kim Possible universe and Gold Digger universe merged into one without anyone noticing anything different.

Also note that I _rarely_ use actual numbers in my story, but they do occur, such as the description of space available on the disk. On that subject, terabyte is, to my understanding, the level above gigabyte, which would make 900 terrabytes about nine billion kilobytes … or nine-hundred thousand gigabytes …

And for those that didn't get the joke Gina came up with before leaving her elder self, it was supposed to be funny, because they are the same person, and she was asking herself to wish her good luck … a dry joke, I know …

My vision of a three-point landing has nothing to do with how well it was executed, but rather that when the person lands, a hand touches the surface along with the feet, perhaps even a knee grazes the ground, but that's it … correct me if I'm wrong, so I may replace the expression with the correct one.

I know Ryoga's Shishi Hokodan is supposed to have the ō symbols instead of the o (if this symbol didn't manage the transition between text file and web, it is an o with a line going horizontally above it), but I didn't want to risk getting some unreadable squiggles instead of the desired symbol. If the symbol _does_ come through the transition, I will change it for when I repost the chapter.


	39. Chapter 39

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

After Dr Drakken and Shego were returned to the proper authorities, Ranma had told Kim to take a shower, and then a relaxing dip in the hot springs behind the house, while her clothes were washed.

As the teen girl did this, Ranma retired to his garage to clean out the car and see if any repairs were needed after the heavy use it had gone through.

What Ranma did not know, was that while he was down there, Gina returned through the Ring and found a nude redhead reclining in the steaming waters.

"Ranma?" she asked as she came closer. "Is that you?"

"No," came the drowsy reply from the redhead. The girl turned, revealing an unfamiliar face. "I'm Kim Possible … Ranma told me I could take a shower and a dip … I got a bit _messy_ after our mission …"

"Ah," Gina nodded. That sounded like something Ranma would do … it was a good thing for him that she had already known he would be on a mission with a teen hero, and wasn't as quick to jump to conclusions as his previous fiancées. If she had, Ranma would soon be in danger of curling into a ball, nursing his ruptured privates back to normal.

Conversation had been easier after that, and the two had shared the tales of their adventures.

When Ranma emerged from his secret garage an hour later, he found Gina and Kim sitting in the living room, looking through the sketches Ranma's teams of scientists had put together after the presentation.

Kim's clothes had by then been fully cleaned and dried. She was also very impressed with some of the ideas, especially the Pill that could heal most ills, and the portable game console. She voiced her opinion of the console being perfect as a replacement for the messy paint-ball guns, and thus a good training device. Ranma promised that when they had made enough improvements, she would be the first to get one … for free, as a little thank-you for assisting him with Dr Drakken.

Kim looked a little bristled at having her contribution called "Assistance," but realised that if Ranma had fought to kill, he wouldn't have needed her at all, considering the powerful cannons he had on his car.

After some more sketches, Kim noted the time, and asked if Ranma would return her to Cheerleading Camp.

With great caution, Ranma did return Kim, and hurriedly returned … he didn't want to be spotted by those crazed girls again.

Back home, Ranma arrived at the same time as the rest of the household, and was treated to a presentation of Beebe's new wardrobe. Gina informed them of the coming adventure, and _invited_ Ranma to join her … seeing as it was a few days away, and wouldn't get in the way of any of the meetings, he agreed.

Charlotte was giddy with excitement, as during the shopping trip, the egg had stirred.

Nodoka meant this might mean that the baby would be out any day, and was if possible even more excited than Charlotte … she was really looking forward to finally becoming a grandmother.

* * *

Ranma was having lunch with all the other residents of the house later that week, when out of the corner of his eye he caught the light of the Ring activating.

Quickly glancing at the time, Ranma realised that he had almost completely forgotten about his appointments.

"Excuse me, ladies," he said as he stood. "I have a meeting in the dojo."

Everyone looked out the open sliding door, across the garden and through the open doors of the dojo, where Dr Diggers emerged from the swirling portal within the Ring. Following him were four people … two werecreatures, one man and one woman, with canine features, which led Ranma to believe they were the werewolves … and two with feline features, but no tail, one was Stryyp, Britanny's husband, and the other was a stately woman, leading Ranma to the conclusion that they were the representatives of the Kryn.

Striding across the garden, Ranma entered the dojo just as the Ring disengaged.

"Welcome," Ranma greeted. "You're a little early, but no matter."

Motioning them to sit on the tatami mats, Ranma sat down … the others clumsily mimicked him.

"It _is_ a little difficult to completely accurately calculate the time difference between planets, realms and then continents, student," Dr Diggers commented. "But let us get this meeting under way … you will have to forgive me, but I am simply too curious about this meeting to leave, and have decided to act as an observer."

When one of the more powerful mages of Jade makes such a declaration, there would be few that would have the nerve to argue … Ranma would have been one of them, but he too was curious about why these two groups had requested a meeting with him, and favoured looking between the two to see which group would start the proceedings.

Already being somewhat familiar with Ranma, though not more than as a passing acquaintance, Stryyp motioned for the werewolves to start.

"I am Jetta, the Leader of the Werewolf Clan," opened the werewolf woman regally. "I have come to examine what could be a possible threat to my people, and be assured of your intentions towards the Werewolves."

"So you want to see if I'm going to attack your people?" asked Ranma, trying to simplify the statement. At Jetta's nod, Ranma continued. "Why would I attack you? Have you done anything to offend me?"

"Not to our knowledge," continued Jetta. "But for no apparent reason, the Werewolf Clan has for centuries had a standing feud with the Werecheetah, one that only ended fairly recently when it was revealed that one of our own tried to betray us for power. Many lives were lost needlessly, and I, as the Leader, must make sure that such a tragedy will not come to pass again with the emergence of another werecat species."

"I have no intention of starting a war with someone just because another feline species did so," Ranma deadpanned. "But that is not to say I will not retaliate or defend myself if attacked."

"Likewise," retorted Jetta. "But this brings me close to my second reason … As you have recently become a Weapons-Master of Jade, it has been put to question if you would consider taking a few of our warriors under your wing, so to speak … so that we may have a better chance of fending off attackers."

"We were about to request the same," interrupted the female Kryn. "As well as a possible trade of technology …"

"But you do not have the floor," interjected Jetta smugly. "Wait your turn."

"Ladies, please … there's no need to fight," interrupted Dr Diggers calmly before such an event could break out.

"My apologies," stated Jetta with only mild regret. "I was about to say that in exchange for helping our warriors grow in strength, you will have an alliance with the Werewolf Clan, and should someone wish you harm, we will come to your aid if you request it."

The Kryn woman snorted. "_We_ are willing to offer Aebra gold in addition to an alliance should he accept the request to train our warriors. We also have a few willing females at the ready if a marriage is required to seal the deal …"

"I'm sure _we_ have willing females as well," retorted Jetta. "And unlike you, we have the enhanced strength that comes with being a werecreature!"

"Ladies!" Dr Diggers interrupted again.

"Thank you, sensei," added Ranma. "Flattered as I am about the offers of alliances, women and gold, I already have more girlfriends than I need, and have no desire for additional ones. I _am_ reluctant about taking on students, as I feel I haven't learned enough myself … and-"

"Ranma!"

Looking out the door, Ranma saw Beebee running across the garden like the Hounds of Hell were nipping at her heels … an impressive improvement considering she hadn't had a real human body for more than a week and could hardly _walk_ properly for the first couple of days after she got her new body.

"The egg!" she called even as she got closer. "It's _hatching_!"

Not needing to be told twice, Ranma jumped from his seat, and followed Beebee as she ran back towards the house.

In the dojo, Dr Diggers was not alone in feeling insulted, but _he_ at least knew Ranma's reason for leaving so rudely, and did his utmost to assure both visiting delegates that it was not meant as an insult that their host left so abruptly, explaining the reason behind his departure.

Ranma, meanwhile, was following Beebee through the house to the upstairs bathroom, where Charlotte was kneeling next to the tub, looking down into it.

Standing behind and beside the Harpy, were the other women of the house.

Nodoka was hugging Charlotte in excitement.

Brianna and Gina were holding their own video cameras to record this blessed event for future embarrassment of the child. For variation in angles, they stood on opposite ends of the tub, thus increasing the chances of catching every little change.

Sheila and Lydia were making bets with Nabiki about the gender and appearance of the baby.

Kasumi was at the ready with towels and lukewarm water to clean the baby once it was out of the egg.

Ranma knelt next to Charlotte and looked into the tub on the plastic sheet used to increase friction for the bather, where lay the egg, sporting several cracks, and surrounded by tiny flakes of shell.

The egg shook some more and tiny flakes pealed off from the cracks.

Finally, a large piece of the shell fell off, and a tiny pink paw was visible for a brief moment before it retreated into the darkness within the egg.

A baited silence covered the room.

A tiny hand peeked out, and clumsily grabbed the edge of the opening.

The sudden shift of balance within caused the egg to roll, and the egg shattered as the weight of the baby came crashing onto it, scattering fragments and pieces of the shell all over the tub and spilling out a healthy baby girl, with pink hair.

Before the baby could even cry for the first time, Kasumi was on her, a quick, thorough wash and a warm, soft towel wrapped around the baby in mere instants before the baby was picked up and handed to the mother, Charlotte.

Choked up in tears of joy, Charlotte held her daughter carefully.

"She's so beautiful," Nodoka whispered so as not to spoil the mood.

Behind her, Lydia grudgingly handed what little money she had to Nabiki, but all sour feelings were washed away at the sight of the baby.

Nabiki handed Sheila her winnings, minus her commission, and headed out to call a doctor in for a house-call … after all, they needed to have the baby examined by a professional, and get the various important documentations processed in an orderly fashion.

Then there was a need for diapers, baby clothes, crib, toys … the list was endless, and all needed to be done quickly … this would have been so much easier to prepare for if the mother had been human, as they would have had nine months to get everything in order, not a mere couple of weeks.

Of course, Charlotte couldn't help but notice something.

"She doesn't look anything like I imagined she would," she commented.

"Of course she wouldn't look like a Harpy," Gina explained in a cheerful tone, wagging a finger before the squinting baby girl. "She's not completely a Harpy … she's half Harpy, and half Weredinictis … and so she wouldn't look entirely like you, Charlie."

"But she doesn't look _anything_ like me," Charlotte continued. "She's got _pink_ hair, and no wings or claws."

Just then, the baby hiccupped, and changed form.

Now occupying the towel was a pink kitten half the size of the baby, with pale yellow wings on its back, budding guidance feathers on the elbow joints of fore legs and ankle joints of the hind legs. The hind feet looked more like they had the talons of a bird than toes, and the short fur was pale pink.

"Oh," Gina realised. "And as a werecreature, she won't have control over her transformation until a few years from now … and the hybrid form will emerge sometime during her teens … of course, only the weredinictis seems to have the ability to shift forms independently of lunar cycles …"

The baby chose this time to start making noise, and it sounded like an adorable mix between the mews of a kitten, and the chirps of a chick.

Every one in the bathroom was touched by the moment, even more so when Charlotte handed Ranma his daughter.

Ranma was valiantly fighting back his overflowing emotions.

This was his firstborn child, lying on his arm … his _daughter_ …

As the winged kitten changed back to human form and grabbed hold of the finger he had been running across her face, Ranma had to bite back the tears of pride, worry and joy.

He was a _daddy_!

* * *

In a dark solitary cell in the prison just outside Tokyo, Genma was suddenly overcome with the feeling that his stay there had just been cemented … it felt like his son was dancing on his grave …

In a fit of desperation, he scrambled for the door, and banged on it to get the attention of the guard that was supposed to guard him.

"You've got to let me out!" he screamed. "The future of the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling depends on it!"

"I'm not falling for it," muttered the guard, and returned his attention to the semi-pornographic manga he had brought with him to pass the time. The plot was thin at best, and the female main character's bust size seemed to grow between each volume, but with all the blood, gore and fighting, he didn't care. "I have strict instructions not to let you out until your time served in the _hole_ is over, and I intend on following my orders to the letter … not even a fire would make me unlock that door."

"But I need to speak with my wife!" Genma continued. "She needs to talk some sense into the boy! Something is happening that will ruin any chance of _uniting the schools_! Call Tendo Soun, he'll know what to do!"

"Nope," said the guard. "Now, shut up, or I'll have your ration cut in half."

Silenced by the threat of _absolute_ starvation, in his opinion, Genma sat back against the wall, a tear of despair rolling down his face.

* * *

On a train headed for Tokyo, Ukyo felt a chill run down her spine.

Something had just happened … something that would severely hamper any chance she had at getting back with Ranma.

In the pet carrier at Ukyo's feet, Mousse lost the lock pick he had been using to try opening the door. Unfortunately for him, not only had Ukyo taken his glasses, which meant he was trying to unlock the back wall of the carrier, but a chill had run down his spine as well, causing him to lose grip of the tools.

"CURSE YOU, RANMA!" the myopic Amazon screamed … of course, being a duck at the time, it all sounded like a predator of some kind had managed to enter the carrier and was trying to kill him without making any noise itself.

* * *

In a Maximum Security Mental Institution in Osaka, Kuno Tatewaki sat up from where he had been slumped along the padded wall.

"What is this?" he questioned. "What surroundings have I found myself in? What devilry has brought me here?"

Trying to stand, Kuno found that his arms would not obey his commands where they were restrained within these long sleeves that disappeared behind his back.

"My sleeves seem to be caught on something," Kuno commented dazedly. "It feels as though something is clouding my mind … the last thing I remember was seeking the famed Dr Diggers to rid the Tree-Borne Kettle-Girl of the hold the vile Sorcerer Saotome has over her … then I discovered Saotome's corruption having reached even farther than- _SAOTOME_! That vile creature has bewitched me!"

" Akiraka-isha, the patient in room two-eighty-five has worn out his drugs again, " announced a bored, female voice out of nowhere.

Kuno looked around to find the source of the voice, and saw a small window in the middle of the soft wall.

Rolling over and getting his footing, Kuno managed to get to his feet and stumbled towards it just as it opened.

-Fsht!-

With a scream of pain, Kuno fell backwards, painfully aware of not being able to rub the stinging out of his eyes.

"Give him double dose this time," sighed a male voice as two pairs of strong hands held Tatewaki to the ground. "At the rate he keeps burning off the drugs, he should be able to take it without harm …"

"_CURSE YOU, SAOTOME_!" Kuno screamed in rage, knowing that this was _somehow_ Ranma's fault.

* * *

Inside a pyramid in Egypt, though the two thought they were in France because of the cave paintings on the walls, Akane felt a chill run down her spine as well. She just _knew_ Ranma had done something perverted again.

"Ranma you pervert!" she screamed spontaneously, a scream that was joined by Ryoga with the alteration of "Ranma! For distressing Akane, DIE!"

It was unfortunate, however, that as the two screamed, the inside of the pyramid suddenly changed into the top of the mountain at the base of which the Musk had their village.

The resulting avalanche didn't kill anyone, but the throne room was completely filled with snow, dirt and other miscellaneous debris, and would take weeks to fully dig out … thankfully King Herb had been in the bathroom when it happened … he would be stuck there for a few days before he was rescued, and very angry … he just _knew_ this was somehow Ranma's doing … why else would he blast a hole in his ceiling if not to use it as a means to further humiliate him by barricading him in the bathroom for days?

* * *

In Atlanta, Julia felt something was off, and as a result of her inattentiveness, was kicked back several yards by Gar. The lawn now sported a five yard long trench where Julia's bottom had scraped along it.

In a manner eerily reminiscent of Brianna's declaration of her hunky-senses tingling, Julia rubbed her nose and raised her other hand in the air.

"My _Granny Senses_ are tingling!" she declared.

As she only had one daughter available at the time, she got up, ignored the concerned questions asked by her students, and started examining her adoptive daughter … lifting, prodding, poking and sniffing, thoroughly embarrassing Britanny, who was wearing her work-out clothes and until her mother interrupted, punching a large, square slab of stone with her palms to what was the beginning of her punishment for spending an obscene amount of money, with _Julia's credit card_ … she was building a pyramid, single-handedly.

After a few moments of embarrassment on the part of the Werecheetah, a shocked expression disappeared, and Julia's eyes started to water and widen, then her face became flushed with happiness.

"Guess what, Britanny," she started. "I – I'm a brand new _grandmother_!"

* * *

In Jade's Maximum Security Prison, Tanya shivered as she felt a change take place to hinder her plans of separating her beloved Stryyp from Britanny.

This shiver set off a series of events that was enough to alert the guards of her attempted escape, and recapture her.

However, as she was being shackled and locked away for a while to get rid of any more escape plans, Tanya also felt that she would possibly have to take a different angle to succeed in her plan.

* * *

Back at the Koki estate, Ranma was rocking his daughter to sleep.

The doctor had stopped by, and after recovering from meeting the proud grandmother and the mother … not to mention the girlfriends of the father, had declared the baby to be the healthiest he had ever seen. Thankfully, the baby hadn't changed forms for the entire stay of the doctor.

The birth certificate had been filled out, and a name had been decided on.

On Ranma's arm lay little Rei Candy.

Needless to say Charlotte chose the middle name …

As he looked down on her, Ranma could not bear the thought of her hurt, hungry or afraid … which begged the question how his father could knowingly and willingly, even _eagerly_ expose Ranma to this. Did this feeling apply to _all_ children, or merely daughters?

Scowling at the memories of what his father had done to him, Ranma silently vowed to make his little girl strong and capable, but _never_ expose her to any dangers even close to the training methods used in _his_ training.

With this goal in mind, Ranma gently lowered the now sleeping baby in the crib Gina and Brianna had spent half an hour trying to put together even if they were following the instructions.

Out in the dojo, Ranma's guests were understandably impatient, but as Ranma reappeared with a serious expression, their will to complain about their treatment faded away.

"I'll train your warriors," Ranma stated. "Both Kryn and Werewolves … but I have conditions: First of all, _I_ decide who will be my student … the last thing I need is an unstable student that would not hesitate to abuse my teachings.

"Second, _none_ of my students will be allowed to teach anyone else until _I_ deem them fully trained and capable of carefully selecting their own students as I will.

"Third, all lessons will take place _here_, every day from morning to evening with only a few breaks. To help in the commute, I will build two more Rings … I recommend you place them in secure areas and guard them well, because I will make sure to have tight security around the Rings here on Earth, which means if any unauthorised person tries to get through, they will be halted by security … and all travel will be carefully recorded, so no one will be able to come and go as they please."

"Thank you, Koki-san," Stryyp interrupted before his female companion could speak. He added a bow and the polite Japanese suffix for emphasis. "When you left earlier, you seemed to oppose the idea of training our warriors, may I ask what changed your mind?"

"I need the training," Ranma stated seriously. "I've just gotten a baby girl, and in order to best train her to face the countless dangers out there, I need to learn how to teach without doing to her what my father did to me."

* * *

Author's Notes; I know, the beginning feels rushed, but I couldn't really think of anything to put there to explain how the last chapter ended, so I had to improvise a little. And most of the chapter is … well … _mushy_. I couldn't help it … sorry … I also know I'm speeding up the Britanny punishment by about five issues, and her pregnancy by about nine issues, but I just thought it would fit in with the theme of the chapter. Britanny's pregnancy has nothing to do with Ranma, just to get that clear … she is devoted to her husband, even if she enjoys a little "Eye-Candy" now and again. Besides, Britanny is an expert at spending money, so the scenario of her having done so with her mother's credit card isn't that unlikely … let's just choke it up to one of the changes taking place in the GD reality since the appearance of Ranma … Stryyp is sure in for a surprise when he gets back … hehehehe …

Sorry about the shortness of the chapter, but for some reason, my muse seemed reluctant to feed me inspiration …

Credits; Thanks to DJ Rodriguez for giving me the idea of having the egg hatch in the middle of the meeting, and having Ranma run out without further explanation, that really helped with this chapter.


	40. Chapter 40

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

Hovering above a lush jungle in India, facing a steep, high mountain-side, was a green helicopter, with a yellow on red smiley-face painted on, it had a rather sceptical expression on its face instead of a smile.

The brown mountain-side sported a gaping hole, where a construction could be found, and all along the cliff-side near the clearing they were aiming to land in ran a corridor leading up to the gaping hole, shown by the pillars supporting the ceiling.

The helicopter belonged to none other than Kevin "Ace" Koss, pilot-extraordinaire, and boyfriend of Penny Pincer.

Both of said persons were in this helicopter, as were Gina Diggers, and Ranma Koki.

Gina wore her warm-climate uniform, which was basically short denim shorts cut off at the upper thigh, and a sleeveless blue shirt tied in a knot under her generous bosom, and her hat along with her small backpack for essential equipment.

Penny wore her own mission gear, not that Ranma bothered to note more than it was revealing and olive-green.

Ranma was not nearly as excited as Gina, and neither was Penny, but an adventure was an adventure, and this one could uncover some great mysteries concerning the Djinni.

Directly below the helicopter, was a small camp.

This camp belonged to the host to this adventure … Dr Issac Elite.

"They should have a helipad ready for you, Ace," said Gina, checking her map one more time. "The I.L.S. freak is set to channel six."

"Hm," Ace snorted, and looked impassively out the windows. "Yeah, like I need I.L.S. to land … But thanks for the heads up, G."

"Kevin," Leaning over the pilot chair, Penny looked at her boyfriend. "You seem on edge … anything wrong, honey?"

"Girl, I just don't _dig_ that squad, Team Elite," Ace confessed. "Especially that leader of theirs … Issac Elite … thinkin' he's all that! Just because they've never gone home empty-handed!"

"You know them, Kevin?" Penny continued to ask.

"Yeah," Ace growled. "I met 'em _once_ … they needed my skills through Burma … I'll tell you 'bout it later after I bust this landin' … 'N call me ACE, Penny … ow-ight?"

Satisfied with the reply, Penny returned to her seat, which was next to Ranma, and waited for the landing.

Looking out the window, Ranma saw a small group of people gathering outside to greet them, standing at a safe distance from the helicopter.

There were four of them in all … one was a neatly dressed man in a white suit, purple shirt and a white bow-tie, he was clearly the leader.

The next was a huge, bald man, with the muscles of a heavy-weight boxer, but was oddly enough dressed in an ash-grey business-like suit, with a tie … he wasn't wearing a blazer, the arms were ripped off the shirt, and he wore thin boxing gloves of matching colour, but apart from this, the suit seemed perfectly normal.

Next, was a guy wearing a white shirt, yellow tie, blue shorts, and a red cap put on backwards … covering his torso was a red coat with a symbol on the back … this man also chose to wear no sleeves.

Finally, there was a woman with red hair, a straw hat, and apart from being covered with scattered white band-aids, wore only a set of denim overalls cut off at mid-thigh and hiking boots, which meant there was very little to hide her generous assets from view … only the front of the overalls, which reached to about armpit height.

It was clear that everyone but the woman were experienced fighters at close range as well as distance … should the woman try any acrobatics, she would only expose herself, which would only serve to distract her opponent.

As Gina's team climbed out of the helicopter, Penny pulled Kevin aside.

"Just keep your problems under your hat, Kevin," she warned. "It's still their site, after all …"

"Ah, Madame Chairwoman!" greeted the white-clad man formally, leaning on a pickaxe as though it were a cane. "Welcome to our _humble_ expedition!"

"Dr Elite?" Gina asked to make sure. At the man's nod, she continued. "Thank you for allowing us to visit!"

"Please," continued Dr Elite. "Allow me to introduce you to my team of _specialists_ …"

"True, introductions are in order …" Gina agreed, somewhat embarrassed as the man came uncomfortably close as he took her hand in a similar manner to a gentleman about to kiss her knuckles.

Ranma, also uncomfortable with the man's proximity to one of his girlfriends, was about to step in when the man let go.

"This is David "Crash" Turvine," Dr Elite began, indicating the man in red. "Retired Formula One Champion."

"Yo," the man said as a means of acknowledging his identity.

"His mechanical expertise comes in handy against the dangerous traps we tend to find …" Dr Elite added, clearly flaunting how skilled his associates were. Then he nodded to his side, where stood the huge man in grey. "At my side is Percival Masters."

"A pleasure," greeted a gentler voice than one would expect from a man that big.

"Six-time World Martial Art Champion … Eight-time World Chess Champion. When things become … _intense_ … every so often, Percival sees us through safely …" continued Dr Elite. He then indicated the woman of his team. "And the Indomitable Dana Dane. The first person to transverse the _globe_ … _alone_ … on _foot_ … _twice_! Her knowledge of locations all over the world and her innate sense of direction has earned her the nickname "The Human G.P.S.""

"How-dee!" the woman greeted merrily.

Gina was slightly nervous about starting her own introductions after the one she had been given, but Ranma's hand on her shoulder calmed her down a little.

"This is _my_ team, Dr Elite," she started, patting Ranma's hand. "This is Ranma Koki, Martial Arts genius, as well as the owner and chief inventor of Wild Horse Inc … I don't think he's ever competed in the World Martial Art Championship, but I'm sure he would win it with his speed, strength, adaptability and arsenal of techniques."

Ranma raised his hand to recognise that he was being spoken of, and in greeting. The expressions on most of Team Elite's faces were of mild awe … and a slight twinkle of desire in the woman's eye that died as soon as she looked back at her leader. Both the fighters looked eager to try their hand at fighting him, but this also passed.

"Kevin "Ace" Koss," Gina continued, indicating Ace, who was still within a few steps of his helicopter. "Quite possibly the best pilot in the world … And my partner on this expedition-"

"Penny Pincer," Dr Elite interrupted, taking hold of her hand in the same way he had Gina's. "I read your research thesis on the Civ-Alpha, Dr Pincer … exceptional work for an exceptional archaeologist!"

The man then leaned down and kissed her knuckles smoothly, not only producing goose-pimples on the woman's hand, but also causing strong feelings of jealousy to rise in both Ace and Dana. Ranma was nearly overwhelmed by them, and Gina winced in sympathy for Ace.

After a tense few moments, Dr Elite stepped away, and raised the pickaxe, holding it by the head and pointing at the gaping hole in the mountain.

"Now, to business," he declared. "Over there is the entrance to Uhm Di Turrok … but it's locked. Our team has been trying to find a way inside for a week now …"

"Well," Gina started. "As I said in the message I sent you this morning, Dr Elite-"

"Please," Dr Elite interrupted. "Call me Issac."

"Issac," Gina corrected herself. "I know how to unlock the entrance … but in return, we'd like your permission to _share_ the site with your group."

"But of course," agreed Dr Elite. "However … I propose a little _race_ to the secrets of this temple. A friendly little competition! Whatever is first touched by _any_ member of our teams becomes that team's property … Of course, we all may examine the items, relics or what-have-you … but, only the item's winner gets to take it home! Agreed?"

"Well," Gina hesitated. "It's very dangerous inside that temple, Issac. There are _grave_ safety concerns …"

"True," agreed Dr Elite. "True … but that's what sets us apart, Dr Diggers …"

"Uh," Gina grunted with unease. "Just call me Gina … keeps people from confusing me with my dad …"

"We're explorers as well as archaeologists, Gina," Dr Elite continued, including the corrected address. Ranma bristled at the familiar tone the man was setting … was this guy flirting with his girlfriend? "Risk comes with the territory … plus, doing things this way will surely settle any arguments over who gets what …"

"Very well, Issac," Gina agreed, her confidence rising as she looked over her team. "We accept …we'll start as soon as the temple entrance is unlocked … just give us a few minutes to unload our gear and we'll begin."

Ranma followed Gina back to the helicopter to help unload what they needed … granted, he could have stowed it all in stuff space, and saved a lot of weight for Ace's engines, but Penny and Ace would only wonder why they weren't packing any equipment … besides … it was Dao who prepared the equipment, and Ranma didn't want to waste any energy or time packing it all away before takeoff.

As he was transferring equipment from the helicopter to Gina's pack, which apparently had gotten a chi-tech Stuff-Space generator sown into the opening without him knowing, he felt a burst of power from behind some crates in the camp … where Dr Elite had disappeared after the agreement had been made.

It disappeared shortly after it came, though, so Ranma didn't have time to investigate.

* * *

In Tokyo, there was a knock at the gate of the Koki estate.

Nodoka managed to tear herself away from watching Charlotte attempting to breast-feed Rei, wishing she would have been able to have that closeness with another baby, and went to answer.

When she opened the door, she was surprised at who was on the other side.

"Hello, Auntie, is Ranma in?"

* * *

It had taken five minutes for the team to properly stow away their gear in the single backpack, but they soon stood before the grand entrance of the temple, and Gina had managed to open it within moments of approaching it, much to the chagrin of some Team Elite members.

"Here we are," Gina stated, slightly uneasy about the dangers they might face within. "The entrance to the Halls of the Extremely Dead!"

Dr Elite stepped just inside, and looked around with great reverence. "Within these halls, are the tombs of forgotten kings from lost civilisations," he said. "Horded treasures from lords who wished to be buried with their spoils … all protected by a labyrinth of the deadliest traps ever created!"

"Well," started Penny. "This is where we split up … be careful, Issac …"

"Thank you, Penelope," Dr Elite replied. "I shall …"

As Gina's group split away from Team Elite, Ace was silent, and fuming.

"Was it just me, or did the subject of PhDs get brought up a lot?" asked Ranma casually. "Doctor this and Doctor that …"

"Sound to me like someone here has a distinct case of PhD-envy," commented Penny smugly.

"An expert symptomatological analysis, Dr Pincer," added Gina with equal smugness.

"Why, thank you Dr Diggers," Penny replied.

"Stuff it," Ranma mock grumbled, somewhat pleased that Dr Elite seemed to be forgotten. That is, until Penny looked slyly over her shoulder at Ace, who kept a step or two behind her.

"And speaking of _envy_," she said. "I think it's time I let my brooding boyfriend off the hook … although in the old days, I would have had this "infatuation with Issac" thing go on for weeks before revealing it was only to see him jealous!"

"Wait a minute!" Ace realised and stopped. "You _weren't_ diggin' Issac! You were playin' me like Mario Brothers! Girl, why-"

"Why?" asked Penny innocently. "Where should I start? Remember that time out of Maui? And you took _extra passengers_ who happened to be the infamous Swedish Thong-Bikini Team? And the Team Captain kept trying to sit in your lap? And she asked if she could grip your _flight stick_ and you let her?"

"Oh yeah …" Ace sighed.

"Well, Penny," Gina smirked. "I've gotta admit … I was fooled as well … I mean, Issac would be some catch! He's got to possess the most handsome pair of buns in archaeology!"

Ranma was not pleased at this remark. Though he noticed such things about women other than his girlfriends, he at least tried not to bring it up in conversation …

"Y' got dat right gir-frin!" Penny squealed. "And did you check the "Merchandise" he's packin'? By my calculations, he's definitely sporting double digits!"

Sounds of appreciation followed from both women.

Ranma growled in annoyance. _He_ at least had the tact not to mention or comment on such things about women, why did _they_ have to do this now?

"No respect," Ace muttered. "'M tellin' ya …"

Gina was about to make another crude comment for fun, when she heard a loud –CHHUNK!- on her step.

"Oops …" she stated. "_COUNTER BALANCE TRAP_!"

As the four of them tumbled down the hole that the floor suddenly tipped them into, Ace could not help but remark loudly. "I thought you guys were supposed to be checkin' for this mess!"

"We were!" Penny replied as she started to fall.

-KHNK!-

The floor had now flipped over, and locked itself in place.

As Ranma took in his surroundings, he noticed that the group had been split up … he was in a compartment, not very big, perhaps as big as a normal, household bathroom, covered with those blue strips that he had seen inside Bain, he was with Ace, but the girls weren't in there with them!

"Gina!" he called.

"Penny!" added Ace.

"We're over here!" Ranma heard through a wall. It was Gina! "Looks like the trap was just a drop-pit … pretty shallow, too … but, we're separated and imprisoned!"

"Gina!" Penny hissed, clearly not pleased. "I thought you were checking for metallic anomalies? Why didn't you see this coming with your scan-light?"

"It's not my fault that this trap uses no metallic parts!" Gina replied in her own defence. "And what about your ground-sonar emitter, Penny? You should have detected this gap!"

"I would if you weren't distracting me!"

"Stop blaming each other!" Ranma interrupted. "If you haven't noticed, we're in a bind, here!"

"Hey, Ranma," Ace stated. "It's getting' … _warmer_ in here!"

"Ace is right!" Ranma heard Gina call from the other side, a slight creeping panic into her voice. "The temperature is rising! The strips covering the walls are beginning to heat up! Which means the tilt-floor wasn't the trap … it was the entrance! Jinkies! We're inside an Easy-Bake Oven!"

Though the lack of electricity, dynamos and such to produce such an effect bothered Ranma as a scientist … his protective instincts were screaming at him to get out, or at least get the others out!

Without really thinking things through, Ranma punched the wall that divided the group, applying some force to the breaking point, and watched as the wall exploded open, showering him, Ace, Gina and Penny in shrapnel.

Grabbing Gina, Ranma repeated the procedure with another, random wall, and entered.

Behind Ranma and Gina, Penny and Ace followed, sporting a few scrapes and coated in a light layer of dust, but otherwise fine.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Ranma as he calmed down … ashamed at having lost his cool logic at the thought of his girlfriend coming to harm.

"'M okay, Dawg," Ace commented, wiping some blood off the nastiest cut on his arm. "Thanks."

"I'm okay, honey," Gina purred, enjoying her closeness with Ranma far too much to care about the few scratches she had gotten, or if they had all been covered in dust.

"Penny?" asked Ranma when he heard nothing from her.

"Teehee!"

"Penny?" looking around, Ranma found Penny sitting amidst a pile of gold, jewels and the chests or cauldrons they were kept in, sporting a large, gold tiara with a large diamond at the forehead … diamond ear rings, gold bracelets, rings, and necklace, with diamonds, rubies and emeralds covering them.

"Say hello to the new Queen of the Nile!" Penny giggled, and posed with the jewels against a large cauldron next to a stack of gold bars.

"Jinkies!" Gina exclaimed. "We're smack down in the middle of a treasure vault! Let me see!" she added before approaching Penny. "Share the wealth Gir-Frin'!"

"No way!" Penny protested. "I coordinated this ensemble! Go get your own!"

While the women were going over the jewels, Ranma started the process of stuffing everything into a Bag of Holding he had discovered in his stuff space while stuffing their gear into Gina's backpack … he knew for certain that he had given Kasumi her gift, so it couldn't have been the one he bought for her on Jade … but, then … there was always a possibility of someone having stuffed another Bag of Holding into the first, and this one having fallen out of the first when he pulled it out to give to Kasumi …

Regardless … the Bag of Holding came in handy no matter where it came from, because in all honesty, Ranma did not think he would be able to fit all of these valuables in stuff space … even with all the other things he had managed to stuff in there.

Working around Gina and Penny, who were complimenting each other's new accessories before wondering if any of this was cursed, Ranma managed to quickly gather up all the gold, jewels and gems.

As Penny and Gina grudgingly stowed their newfound accessories into the bag, Ranma's ears picked up the sound of battle down the hall from the chamber.

The next noise was even loud enough for the other three to hear.

"GUH!"

"The other team's in trouble," Ranma deduced. "Should we _help_, or continue to look for valuables?" by his emphasis, Ranma made _his_ opinion clear, but he still left the choice to his three companions.

"Let's go," Gina called, and started down the hallway towards where the grunt had originated.

After some running, and thankfully no traps, the group arrived in a large hall with some steps leading up to a closed door. Kneeling towards the open area was a blue-glowing, purple creature, wearing a white suit that barely fit over the huge muscles that most of its body seemed made of.

There was a demonic feeling to the creature.

But, demonic or not, Ranma could recognise the aura of Dr Elite within it, and the wardrobe revealed its identity to Gina.

"Is that Issac?" she asked Dana, who was standing nervously along the wall, with "Crash" next to her. Percival was approaching the creature in a ready stance most commonly associated with either boxing or kickboxing. Along the wall, beneath a spider-web set of cracks, was the muscled man's shirt and tie.

Ranma watched as the two fought, paying no attention to the banter the creature was exchanging with Percival as its slow, yet powerful punches and swipes missed the surprisingly agile fighter, who dodged, ducked and slid out of harm's reach, only to deliver a powerful uppercut to the creature's jaw.

In a follow-up move, Percival locked his arms under the creature's arms, and locked his hands behind the creature's head.

"David! Now!" Percival yelled, his voice deeper and more serious due to the situation. "Give 'im the whole clip!"

"Zak's gonna feel _this_ in the morning …" David muttered as he opened fire with what looked like an Uzi, or a handgun modified to become fully automatic.

Ranma was about to intervene before a barrier came into existence between the creature and the bullets, causing them to bounce off, and also had the effect of knocking Percival off in a flash of light.

As the large fighter fell to the ground, Ranma rushed in … this thing was a threat to all around it, and he was not about to let it get away with whatever it tried getting away with!

Delivering a roundhouse kick to the creature's face, Ranma watched with a small bit of pride as it reeled back a few steps, unlike the punch Percival had given, which only staggered it.

With incredible slowness, Ranma watched as the creature got back up, rubbing the side of its head, and delivered a flat palm thrust at Ranma's chest.

Ranma took the hit to gauge how powerful the creature was, but didn't satisfy himself with relying on pure physical endurance to resist any effect, so ki was pumped into his chest, ribs and organs to prepare for the strike in not even a second.

-WAMP!-

-CRASH!-

"Ranma!"

Ranma shook his head clear of dust and looked out the vertical crater he found himself in.

Though he had gotten time to prepare, that punch still hurt … he wouldn't be able to take many more of those in this form. Giving Gina a reassuring smirk, Ranma stepped out of his crater to see Percival had taken up the fight again.

This would not end well … unless …

With hardly a thought, Ranma started to shrink … most of his hair pulled back until it was only short fur that merged seamlessly with the fur that grew out of the rest of his skin … a tail slinked out of a hole in the back of his brown pants, and wagged back and forth aggressively.

Ranma's now feline ears flattened down and back against his head, and a hissing yowl escaped his mouth before he launched himself at the purple creature.

Surprised, the creature wasn't able to dodge the punch that impacted against his face … not that he normally would have been able to, given that he was so slow and Ranma, in hybrid form, was so fast …

The creature crashed into the wall, and got up, shaking himself free of debris, growling in return at Ranma's challenging yowl.

Rearing his fist back again, Ranma channelled ki into the entire arm, subconsciously mimicking and altering the Master Technique he had seen G'Nolga perform to suit his current situation and needs.

-Cra-KOOM!-

The impact between fist and face shook the room enough for dust to fall from the ceiling, and nearly knocking Penny and Gina over.

The crater Ranma had launched the creature into the first time was now _very_ deep … so deep, in fact, that the creature could not be seen from the thick shadow drowning the hole.

Sinking to his knees, Ranma panted as he rubbed the feeling back into his arm … he hadn't _meant_ to use as much force as he had … somehow, his feline persona wouldn't allow him to hold much of anything back against this threat and had strengthened his punch as much as he could get away with.

It hurt … a lot …

"Ranma!" was all the warning Ranma got before being glomped by Gina. "Are you okay? Did you kill him?"

"Nah," interrupted David as he peered down the hole. "We've hit him with worse … see, there he is now!"

Emerging from the dark hole, was a bruised and battered Dr Elite, sheepishly covering a large bump on his face, wearing the rags that once were his clothes … now most of the nice suit was scraped up by shrapnel or friction as he was being forced into the ground and his purple shirt hung in tatters … oddly enough, his pants survived with only a few smudges …

First aid was immediately applied by Dana, who was none too gentle about her treatment of the man.

"Hold still 'y big baby!" the woman commanded as she wrapped bandages around the head of Dr Elite. "'M almost done …"

"Dana," stated Dr Elite in a pained chuckle, his chest already wrapped up tight, his left arm was wrapped in bandages like his chest, and his right arm in a sling. "I don't know which is worse … the _curse_ or your "First Aid" …"

"I sed quit yer squirmin'!" Dana repeated sternly.

"Issac?" asked Gina, cautiously approaching the fellow doctor. "About the curse …"

Ranma came up behind Gina, and put an arm around her waist … he would have leaned against her, but as he was still in hybrid form, that would make him lean against her breasts, which was not appropriate for their current company and location.

"I know what you are about to ask, Gina," Dr Elite sighed, leaning back against the wall, much to Dana's protests. "But I'm afraid I cannot indulge you … I cannot tell you about the origin of my current condition … it's for your own safety. With this curse, the less you know, the safer you are … This is the Team Elite's burden … we cannot share …"

"But my father is a powerful magic-user who specialises in curses," Gina protested. Ranma looked at her in surprise … why hadn't _he_ known that?

"I'm afraid the curse is immune to all magic, Gina," sighed the injured doctor. "As my mother's death proved …" he added in a mutter.

"But-"

"And," Dr Elite interrupted. "That's _all_ I have to say about _that_ …"

Penny looked about to try and make the man reconsider, but Dana stepped in and waved her away, telling her to mind her own bees-wax.

"Okay," Gina sighed in defeat. "But … if you ever need help …"

"I'll call," Dr Elite agreed.

"Well," interrupted Percival, his voice though not as gentle as the first meeting was still not threatening. "With our archaeological expert down … we'll have to forfeit the "contest" … we were trying to get this door open when Issac changed … looks like it's all yours now …"

Gina looked up at the doors, and was very surprised to discover that it was the very doors, behind which lay what they had been looking for!

"The one leading to Yl'Dahjim," muttered Gina in awe as she approached it, the rest of the group following closely behind. "Or leading to the one who can guide us to Yl'Dahjim …"

Pressing her palm against the right half of the doors, and pressed two fingers against what appeared to be cracks in the right half of the doors, until two buttons glowed green where Gina's fingers were pressed.

With a groaning hiss, the doors opened, admitting Gina and her group to the chamber within.

There, floating in the middle of the chamber was a tablet with the icon of a diamond on it.

"But …" Gina stuttered in confusion. "It's just the same floating tablet we saw _before_ … no portals … no directions … I don't underst-" halting her complaining abruptly, Gina examined the tablet again. "Wait … the tablet … the _diamond_ inside it … it's the exact same mathematical dimensional formula … as Bain … Now I understand … what I couldn't have during my _first_ visit. The tablet … _is_ Yl'Dahjim!"

* * *

Author's Notes; I know, rather rushed chapter … couldn't be helped, I guess … I just wanted to get out another chapter on the _ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSERY_ of this story, and having more to write would mean I'd miss it.

And for those who keep getting confused about my fluctuating order of surnames where Ranma is concerned, I change it according to the customs of the country the retelling takes place in, or the company Ranma is in.

I have no idea what I.L.S. freak means … I guess it has something to do with radio frequencies … or given the context, some form of landing aide.

And to accommodate my readers more, I've cut down quite a bit on the italics … Fred Perry sure _loves_ to emphasise words …

Symptomatological is not, to my knowledge, a real word …

Translation; Gir-Frin' – Girl friend. Ow-ight – All right.


	41. Chapter 41

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

Ukyo was very excited.

Aunty Nodoka had let her inside, and was serving her tea!

This was already going so much better than she had feared. For some reason, she had gotten this insane idea in her head that Ranma might actually have some other suitors after him, but seeing how calm things were, that couldn't be tru-

"Oh my, we have guests!"

Looking at the doorway, Ukyo found Tendo Kasumi, carrying another tray of tea and curry bread.

Following behind her was a woman with three fingers on each hand, thick and tapered into claws, and sporting a face so innocent, it made Kasumi look seductive … the expression on this woman, who Ukyo now saw had wings on her back, was of disappointment, and the bundle on her arm made some noise.

"Hello!" the woman greeted with a cheerful tone. "I'm Charlotte, who are you?"

"Kunji Ukyo," Ukyo introduced herself with a bow. "Are you of the Phoenix people Ranma told us about?"

"No, I'm his girlfriend!" Charlotte giggled, having gotten past the confusion Ranma had caused her during their first meeting.

Ukyo stared at the winged woman in shock … her jaw nearly touching her chest.

"Oh my," Kasumi said. "I had better get this tray out to the dojo, I should have delivered it by now … please excuse me."

"You're his _girlfriend_?" Ukyo finally demanded, a little loudly, because the bundle on Charlotte's arm started screaming in protest at the sound.

Nodoka was immediately on her feet and cooing over the bundle with Charlotte to calm it down.

"There's a good girl," Nodoka finally cooed as Charlotte handed the bundle to her, sad that she wasn't able to do more herself … she would need more training. "Have you made a messy?" she continued in a silly voice before sticking her face into the bundle. "Yes you have! Come on, Granny Nodoka will change your messy diaper for you! And then it's time to go to bed!"

"Grandmother!"

Ukyo's second scream made the baby wail again, and Charlotte's sad expression turned to brief annoyance at the cause of the renewed screams.

"Shh!" she hushed at Ukyo. "Rei doesn't like loud noises!"

"But-"

"Shh!"

"Quack!" Mousse protested, trying to break out the side of the pet carrier by pecking at the metal bars.

"Who's making all that noise?" asked a new female voice. "I thought Rei was sensitive to them …"

Entering through the door to the garden, was a huge woman with blonde hair, strapping muscles, and clothes that were clearly not meant for someone her size. Across her shoulders was a towel, and in her hand was a half eaten piece of curry bread.

"Miss Ukyo here," Charlotte accused, tears in her eyes. "Her and her pet duck won't stay quiet and are upsetting Rei!"

"Who are you?" Ukyo demanded again, lowering her voice and aiming her shocked stare at the huge woman.

"Sheila," the woman introduced herself. "I'm Ranma's girlfriend."

"WHAT?"

* * *

In Atlanta, Georgia, Ranma was finishing his shopping at a small shop that was open all day … it was early in the morning and most shops wouldn't open for another three or four hours, but he was dutiful enough to go anyway … they had just gotten back from India, and Gina remembered that she was out of deodorant … as he paid by means of credit card for the feminine deodorant, Ranma tried not to be affected by the curious looks the guy behind the counter was giving him. Of course, to make the ordeal a little less embarrassing, Ranma has thrown in some things to his shopping that he really didn't need, such as shades, beef jerky, a gaming magazine for invention ideas, a few cans of fizzy soft drinks, condoms, popcorn, and paper clips.

Of course, condoms were _useful_, but it appeared his girlfriends had thought ahead during their shopping trip, and gotten some … or rather a lot or condoms. But that was understandable, as there were seven women to be sated, so they went through the large stash of condoms rapidly.

Ah, the joys of being a highly trained Martial Artist … extreme stamina and knowledge of the body …

His errand complete, Ranma slinked into a dark alley, ignoring the homeless person lying in a heap of cardboard, half-empty bottle of gin in his hand, and teleported to Gina's lab, where she was likely to be.

"_NOBODY_ TRIES TO _ICE_ MY SISTER!"

This was the first thing Ranma heard as he arrived.

Looking to the source, he saw Britanny holding Gina by her sweater, though it was a different outfit than she had been wearing when he saw her not half an hour earlier … the blue, sleeveless shirt tied into a knot under her breasts had been replaced by a brown t-shirt, and her skimpy, blue denim shorts had been replaced with longer, white shorts that reached down halfway to the knees. She was also cleaner, and didn't have that "jungle" smell that indicated she had just returned from another adventure.

"What's going on here?" he asked loudly, interrupting the bubbling conflict.

Everyone in the room paused.

Ranma looked from Gina and Britanny to Stryyp, to Hanza, to Genn, to Seance, to Dao, to Penny, to Gina-

Wait a minute … there were _two_ of Gina?

"Britanny, why are you about to throttle your sister?" he asked sternly. "Did she somehow manage to clone herself?"

"No," Genn said, looking irate. "The one Britanny is holding is _Madrid in disguise_ … she tried to kill Gina in the Carbonite Freezing Chamber so she could get to the Ultimate Djinni powers in Yl'Dahjim."

"Have you all gone completely insane?" asked Ranma rhetorically. After a brief pause, he pointed to the Gina held by Britanny. "You've got the two of them mixed up. _That's_ the real Gina."

"How can you be so sure?" asked Stryyp. "All evidence points to the opposite being true ... this one is wearing what Gina wore to her adventure, according to Penny … she smells like she's been in the jungle, and we found this Gina in the Carbonite Freezing Chamber, where Madrid was going to freeze her solid, using Genn's Rakshasa Memory-Echo to copy Gina's mind," he indicated the rather dishevelled Gina who was leaning on Hanza.

"And then there's _this_," added the dishevelled Gina, and spoke aloud. "Computer, access the security camera datafile … replay camera number six on Main Viewer …"

A big screen sprung to life on the wall, showing the clean Gina forcing the dishevelled Gina into the carbonite freezing chamber, proclaiming how she had chosen that moment carefully, because Gina's sisters were either Eating Stryyp's breakfast or in Japan, and Ranma was gone. And that no one would hear Gina scream or die, and that all the secrets of Yl'Dahjim would be hers.

The mood immediately changed in the room, and not for the better.

"What do you have to say now, Ranma?" asked the dishevelled Gina with a quivering voice, as though she was holding back tears at the traumatising memories the video brought back.

"Physical evidence can be tampered with or forged, spiritual evidence can not. Did you check the settings on the freezing thing?" Ranma asked casually. "I doubt Madrid would do anything to risk her own life … besides, don't you think I have ways of recognising those I love, no matter what form they hold?"

Dao, wanting this issue to be settled, strode over to the control panel of the Carbonite Freezing Chamber.

"There is indeed something suspicious about these controls," Dao hummed after a moment. "It won't let me enter a temperature lower than thirty-seven degrees, not nearly enough to possibly freeze Gina in carbonite!"

Her disguise penetrated, Madrid jumped back from Hanza, and whistled sharply.

Bursting through the door of the Hurtbot Locker, were three hurtbots … or to be more precise, the modified ones Gina worked on to incorporate Beta-Technology into.

"Gina, did you ever finish with the modifications on those hurtbots?" Ranma asked carefully.

"Almost," Gina whimpered. "Dao finished them when we were in Japan. Hurtbot Prototype Alpha-Seven! Hurtbots 33 and 34! Stand down immediately! User I.D.: Gina Diggers! Password: Beefcake!"

The three hurtbots paused in their approach. " Access denied, " the three declared in unison before continuing.

" Madrid, you b#&!" Gina screamed, nerves replaced by anger. "You stole my robots! Now it's _personal_!"

"Well, since I couldn't _deceive_ you, I had to _stall_ you, somehow," Madrid reasoned with a smirk. "Hurtbots 34 and 33, keep these people busy while Prototype Alpha-Seven comes with me … we have another Realm to unlock!"

Hanza made a move to stop the Djinni in disguise, but the feminine hurtbot stopped her with a powerful roundhouse kick.

As the former man crashed into the wall, the two hurtbots pulled out their weapons and aimed at the assembled people.

"Gina … I think you'll have to reassemble those robots soon," Ranma remarked as Stryyp and Seance began to attack and defend against the two robots.

As he was about to join the battle against the robots, Ranma stopped and plucked two shuriken from the air where they were headed for Britanny with as much ease as he had stopped the silver blade the human ninja had attempted to use on him when he had gotten back from Jade for the first time.

The shuriken reeked of magic, and Ranma didn't think he would be able to destroy them there and then … so he sent them at the two robots, who had by that time activated what looked like cut-up rings around their arms … hovering half a foot from the arms, and being flat and black, Ranma recognised them as the Phantom-Rings Gina had described to him, adding several tons of force to any punch, yet weighing close to nothing to the person wearing them.

The shuriken harmlessly bounced off those rings and embedded themselves in the walls.

"You two take care of the wererats!" Ranma yelled at Stryyp and Séance, pointing at the shadows along the top of the super computers. "I'll take the robots!"

Not about to make the mistake of going easy on these things, Ranma immediately shifted to feline form, and lunged at the robots, claws extended, ears flattened and sharp teeth bared in a fierce yowl.

The two robots moved as one, spreading out to present less of an opportunity to a large threat and aimed their weapons at the incoming Ranma.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the lab of one Lord "Peewee" Talon, said pre-teen scientist was facing the one opponent he couldn't have his henchmen take care of … his _mother_!

"I just got an e-mail from an old pen pal of mine," she declared. "She just became a grandmother, and has invited me to visit. You will come with me, of course … it'll get you away from the bad influence of your friends."

At this she cast a glance at Peewee's minions, who were almost cowering under her stare. The only one not cowering was the giant Amazon that held her bald husband as though he was a plush toy. Having the employer of her husband away, meant that she could spend more _quality time_ with her spouse.

"We'll be leaving tomorrow, so get a good night's rest, because it'll be a long flight."

Without further instruction, Peewee was left with his minions, and not in a good mood.

Rounding on his employees, the boy glared.

"Why didn't any of you try to _stop_ her from entering?" he snarled. "I have many experiments to conduct! I don't have time to come with my mother to see an old friend! What am I paying you for?"

"You're hardly paying us at all," Daishi saw fit to point out. "And even the best ninja in the world would know better than to stand in the way of a determined mother … especially one as scary as your mother …"

"That's right," the Amazon purred and applied some more loving, to a giant, pressure on her husband. "We Amazons know to respect our elders or Matriarchs …"

"_Help_ … _me_ …" Ionis squeaked from within the embrace. One would normally have thought that having an Amazon for a wife would have been any man's dream, given the reputation some have given them about being on the verge of being nymphomaniacs … the problem for Ionis was that the rumours were close to the truth … and he had the privilege of having a _giant_ Amazon for a wife! Oh, his poor hips!

* * *

Back in Tokyo, Ukyo was getting frustrated.

From what she had gathered from the conversations she had sat through, Ranma had, not one, not two, but _three_ girlfriends, one of which had just given birth to _his_ baby!

This couldn't _possibly_ get any worse!

"Hey, Sheila, do you know when the others will get back?" asked a new voice from across the garden. A female voice. Sticking out the sliding door to the dojo, was a pale brunette woman, with large front teeth.

"Do you mean everyone, or the ones at work?" called the huge woman.

"Everyone!"

"I don't know when Ranma or Gina will be back," Sheila replied. "But Brianna, Beebee and Nabiki should be home soon!"

"Good! Because we're almost done in here!"

"That's great!"

The brunette returned to the inside of the dojo, and Sheila sat back down, having felt the need to get up and have the person she addressed in her line of sight.

"Who was that? And who were the other girls she mentioned?" asked Ukyo.

"Oh my, that was Lydia," Kasumi informed the Okonomiyaki chef. "She is also one of Ranma's girlfriends, and so are Brianna, Gina and Beebee … we've all agreed to share him."

-Thud!-

"Oh my," exclaimed Kasumi. "She must have been very tired to fall asleep like that … she even looks surprised …"

* * *

A spray of bullets washed towards Ranma, and disappeared as a flare of energy surrounded him, vaporising the metal before they could hit their intended target.

Then Ranma disappeared from sight out of pure speed so fast, even Britanny had trouble seeing anything.

Without warning, Ranma reappeared behind the two hurtbots and slashed at them with his claws, not even coming close to hitting.

Britanny was about to yell at Ranma for missing, when cuts appeared on the two robots, and widened until half the armour on them had been shredded to pieces, leaving them more as skeletons than robots.

The hurtbots had no idea how they had suddenly been stripped of parts, but found it inconsequential, as there was a battle in progress, and it held priority over solving mysteries.

Stryyp and Seance were having an interesting job of getting the two ninja.

While their magic and artefacts could easily have destroyed the two wererats, their species being evident by the tails sticking out from their behinds, the fact that they had been locked up in a holding cell until a short while ago indicated that they may not be entirely voluntary in their attacks, so they tried their best to incapacitate them.

This was not an easy task, as they refused to stay still for more than a second at a time.

However, after a lot of failed attempts, the two wererats were teleported to the very cell they had been broken out of.

-Klank!-Tink!-Crash!-

"Ranma!" called Gina, oddly enough very calm, things considered. "You're helping me putting them back together when this is over!"

Mewling in annoyed resignation, Ranma gave the scattered remains of the two hurtbots another glance before slinking over to his only present girlfriend.

"You look so _cute_ like that!" Gina exclaimed as she picked him up, hugging him like Akane did P-Chan. "But now we have to get Madrid! Who knows what she could do if she got the ultimate Djinni Power!"

* * *

Author's Notes; As some of you may have noticed, I may start getting sloppy with the time zones … it's not much, but it is getting noticeable. I had to make some changes to the plot from the Gold Digger comic to match the time in Japan compared with when Ranma and Gina were in India.

I also apologise for the shortness of the chapter … it was originally supposed to be a part of the previous chapter, but writing it and proofreading it with this added on would have taken more time than I had.

Credits; The idea of having PeeWee's mother being Nodoka's pen pal was given by TerraBull, though it is only _hinted_ at in this chapter.


	42. Chapter 42

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

In the Diggers lab, a group of people were getting ready.

What they were getting ready for was the pursuit of the Djinni, Madrid, and the pilfered hurtbot, Prototype Alpha Seven, who had left for Yl'Dahjim.

Hanza was wearing an armour similar to what she had been wearing in Bain, only less advanced, and without an AI sphere hovering around her … replacing the random blast sources was the cannons Brianna had made and left behind … it was actually a good thing that the former curse had somewhat similar measurements as the former man, as it would have been more constricting than helpful otherwise.

Stryyp was in a new pair of pants, his former having gotten a couple of small nicks and splotches of oil and dust rubbed in, and though this wasn't of any major concern, he was royalty, and as such had to keep a certain image if it could be helped.

Seance was wearing the same as before, as his mage suit repaired itself. He was muttering the names of spells he might need for this mission, and making sure Ranma didn't catch him doing so, as the weredinictis had still not realised that he wasn't performing _techniques_, but _spells_.

Genn was wearing what she had earlier, but wore a visor in addition, which was the same type of device Penny had used during the visit to the Uhm Di Turrok, to spot devices and traps as well as supplying a map of the area. For her safety, one of the guns Brianna had left behind was provided. It wouldn't do much damage, but it would be better than nothing.

Gina was wearing another set of her mission clothes, marine in colour with the exception of the hat, utility belt and boots. And then there were the several pieces of equipment specifically designed for battle, such as shotgun-like weapons resting on her shoulders. Though she rarely brought weapons of her own, preferring to have Britanny or Brianna fight for her, she still had them, and these were special circumstances.

Penny cocked the gun-like crossbows she had brought in during their preparation, and placed in it bolts, preparing them for use.

Ranma, meanwhile, looked over his pants for any holes that would reveal more than he wanted, having reverted back to hybrid form shortly after the course of action had been decided.

Gina had already figured out how to open the portal to Yl'Dahjim, and was about to enter it alone.

"Wait a moment," interrupted Hanza, grabbing a hold of the scruff of Gina's top. "Where do you think you're going?"

"After Madrid!" Gina answered. "That b stole my robots! Then she used them against me!"

"Did you forget that she is now in her home realm?" questioned Hanza. "Chances are that we're walking into an ambush, plus, she might have gotten access to much more power than before, if what I understood is correct, and you are not trained as a soldier, warrior or fighter … let those with proper combat experience go in first, then come in later for support or something …"

Nodding reluctantly, Gina pressed the tablet in the proper place, and a black portal opened.

Ranma, Hanza, Stryyp and Seance entered, and suddenly found themselves in a desolate place.

Lightning flashed across the dark, murky brown sky, illuminating the fallen or ruined constructions visible from the small canyon they seemed to have landed in.

Thunder roared and bounced from wall to wall, prolonging the sound for several seconds.

Hanza silently directed the group through the canyon into view of a tower at the top of a set of long steps, on which stood Prototype Alpha Seven and someone who looked like Gina, only with purple hair that had curls at the temples.

" Madrid," Ranma hissed quietly, making sure that only his company heard him.

"They don't look like they know we're here yet," commented Seance. "I'll call in the others to let them know it's safe for them to-"

"LOOK OUT!"

The young mage was shaken from his concentration on telepathy by Hanza bowling him over, just in time to avoid the descending fist of Prototype Alpha Seven, who had dropped onto them from seemingly nowhere.

-KTHOOOM!-

The ground under Prototype Alpha Seven was now half a foot deeper, and rocks had been kicked up, forming a crater rim several feet wide.

"How on Jade?" Seance exclaimed, clearly startled at how quickly the robot was capable of moving. He quickly recovered from the shock, however. "Go after Madrid, I'll stall this thing!" he called to his companions, and channelled energy into his hands, bringing them towards the chest of the modified Hurtbot.

However, the robot was faster than the mage apprentice, and landed a solid punch to Seance's chin before whatever he was trying could be done.

Appearing at that time, were Gina, Penny and Genn, who saw the strike, and witnessed as Seance impacted against the rock wall.

"Seance!" cried Genn in dread.

"Run …" gasped the injured mage, barely audible over the sounds of thunder, and the small rocks still trickling down from the point of Seance's impact.

Ranma was about to engage the robot, when he realised something.

The robot was possibly as strong as him … possible as fast and smart as well … why hadn't Seance been _killed_ by that one blow?

There was only one possible answer … the robot was holding back to below lethal levels, which was more than likely against orders.

Perhaps Gina's original programming was still in effect, and everyone there was considered friendly, thus not warranting lethal force, but Ranma doubted it … Madrid did not seem the type to overlook something like that while reprogramming the robots, especially after gaining Gina's intellect … something else must have happened to make the fully operational robot hold back.

"Is there a problem, Seven?" asked a stern voice that was a strange mix between Gina's and Madrid's. "That was a perfect kill opportunity, and you passed it up. Why did you choose to stun him instead? You've been acting strange, lately, Seven … but a diagnostic has to wait … kill Seance and the others, now!"

" Yes, mistress … " replied the robot in what could pass for reluctance.

"No!" screamed Genn, who rushed in and placed herself between Seance and Prototype Alpha Seven. "I won't let you!"

The robot paused before the two, and Ranma could see the flicker of something in its optical sensors.

"I'm waiting, Prototype Alpha Seven!" snarled the woman Ranma recognised as Madrid by her aura. "You have your instructions, now _kill them_!"

" I'm sorry, Mistress … " replied the robot. " But I cannot … _will_ not kill. You may ask me anything else, but I will not kill. "

An echo of "What?" was heard from several surprised voices.

"Okay, Seven, that's it! It's diagnostic time!" growled Madrid and whipped out something that looked like a pocket calculator crossed with a small computer. "I'm patching into your logic processor and checking-"

"Nope," interrupted Ranma as he appeared beside the Gina look-alike. "I'll take that."

"NO!" Madrid cried. "Seve-"

"Ta ta tat," Ranma chastised and covered the Djinni's mouth with his hand. "Let's see … my, my … it looks like you've got a virus in the programming … explains why Prototype Alpha Seven isn't doing what he was told … "Pinocchio" … appropriate name for the virus, given what it apparently does …"

" Mistress! " cried the robot and made to approach the steps, only to have Penny, who had appeared along with Gina during the exchange, point half her choice of weaponry for this mission at him … Beta-tech crossbows so strong and heavy that they were mounted onto thin air by a force field of some sort, capable of aiming independently, as demonstrated by one crossbow aiming for Prototype Alpha Seven, and the other at Madrid, giving the robot a choice between staying in place or risking his Mistress getting killed before reaching her.

To add to that, Hanza had seen what Penny did, and copied her with the giant cannons mounted on her armour.

Stryyp's ancient artefacts, fused into his very being during a ceremony to save his people, glowed, showing where they were, and displaying his readiness.

" Interesting, " commented Prototype Alpha Seven. " Individually, only two of you can match me … however … "

"However is _right_!" crowed Penny. "Make one move, and the Traitorous B _gets it_!"

Growling in impotent rage, Madrid settled for glaring at Ranma, who crushed the "remote-control" for Prototype Alpha Seven to avoid Madrid regaining control over him in a manner the now sentient robot would not like.

"Now we wait for Gina to figure out what to do with you," stated Ranma, appearing calm on the outside, but being a barely contained raging inferno inside. These two had threatened one of his loved ones, even going as far as to impersonate her and turn her family against her … had it been up to him, the punishment would be swift in execution, long and suffering in duration, and serve as a reminder to _everyone_ that one did not mess with Ranma or his loved ones.

However, Gina was the wronged party, so it was only fair that she decide.

"Let's first find out what is up there," Gina finally stated. Curiosity was evident in her expression.

"What about these two?" asked Ranma.

"They won't be a problem," said Stryyp. To further back up his statement, his artefacts flared with power.

* * *

In the Koki home, Ukyo was returning to the land of the conscious.

She was having a hard time accepting what she had learned before passing out, and immediately after waking, came to the conclusion that it had all been a bad dream. After all, there was no possible way that Ranma was the womanising pervert Akane had accused him of being so many times when she had not gotten any reasonable explanation for his absence.

The screams of an infant caused Ukyo to sit up from the bed she was on.

The reality of what she had hoped was a dream came rushing back, there would be no Ranma at her side, running Ucchan's Okonomiyaki or playing with their children after work while she cooked dinner or did other domestic chores.

"Tadaima!" called a familiar voice, chorused by a couple of female voices.

Ranma was home!

Ukyo tossed off the sheets that covered her to find and confront Ranma.

Opening the door, she rushed out and found the residents of the house converging on the hallway, where Ranma was returning his daughter to the bird-woman after having greeted the girl with a peck on the head.

Determined to let him have an earful for not letting her know that he was alive, Ukyo stomped closer, only to get a face full of smoke as Ranma disappeared.

Staring in confusion, Ukyo couldn't really understand what had just happened.

One moment, Ranma was there in front of her, handing his child back to its mother, the next he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

It couldn't have been an evasive manoeuvre, as he hadn't seen her, and she hadn't, in her opinion, made much noise.

"Okay, we're done with the Rings," interrupted Ranma's voice from the garden. "I'm sure I'll be back soon, so there's no reason for me to stay."

Ukyo rushed towards the voice, and got into view just in time to see Ranma disappear in another cloud of smoke that rapidly scattered to the winds and was no more.

What was going on here?

* * *

Erwin "Peewee" Talon was by no means an old boy … he was two or three years from entering his teens, actually, but that did not mean that the airlines had any reason to treat him as they had thus far!

The first thing that had gone wrong, was that his seat on the plane had been double-booked, meaning that someone else had bought his seat and gotten to it before him, which left him with the unappealing choice of sitting in Coach, or displeasing his mother, who had threatened to withhold his allowance and trust funds if he did not come along.

"It'll be a good character builder," she had told him. "A chance to see how privileged you truly are by mingling with the lesser fortunate on the economic ladder."

Why was it that every time a child was faced with a situation remotely similar to this, the parents would start spouting about character builders? What was next? "When I was your age, I held down five jobs, and had to walk ten miles to school every day, hip-deep in snow and with howling winds, then tend to my ill parents who had worked their fingers to the bone to feed and clothe me until they were not well enough to continue."

Erwin knew that both his parents had been brought up in wealth, and hadn't seen a day's work until they were in their mid twenties, due to studies and taking a year off to ponder their futures … if he ever got a kid, it would indeed suffer for all his parents had done to him … as all children seemed to do …

The second offence had been when the stewardess had placed a box of crayons on his fold-up trey, along with a colouring book and a juice box.

They had treated him as a five-year-old!

He complained to them, and they took him to the cockpit to see the pilots.

The Captain sat him on his knee and told him what some of the controls did, even if he was already perfectly aware of what everything did … he was a genius, after all, but his silent fuming was not understood for what it was.

Then he had been given a toy airplane and a "badge" that the Captain had pinned onto his sweater, incidentally stabbing him three times before getting it right, and sent him back to his seat.

If it was the last thing he did, he would get his revenge on the airline!

Now, if only the turbulence would stop … it was making him colour outside the lines …

* * *

Entering the sole remaining structure at the top of a steep and long set of stairs was, as Gina said it, a piece of cake. Even with its security locks active.

So it was that while Stryyp, Penny, Hanza, Genn and Seance kept guard with their prisoners, Ranma and Gina stood on a metal platform that had extended on its own from the opposite side of a gap. The yellow and black warning stripes on the end seemed a little too contemporary for having been something created by the Nomad Artificers, but Ranma held his suspicion to himself.

As soon as the two were on, the bridge-like platform started retracting, then soon after, it started raising itself like an elevator.

"Huh, there's an energy spike …" Gina noted as she looked at her instruments. "It's the walls!"

"Plasma is gathering in them," Ranma observed.

"They're screens …" Gina realised as an image appeared.

" Hold it steady, Alpha Nine, " a female voice called, and the face of an older Gina, with nearly white hair appeared, with a ball of metal floating beside her. " Brit and Brianna are never going to believe this … "

" Gina, this … this is incredible, " stated the orb.

" You bet it is, Subtracto! We're through! " continued Gina. "We threaded the "eye of the needle"!"

"Ranma, that's me!" Gina gasped.

Ranma nodded and studied the scene unfolding before them.

" Brit! Brianna! Get a load of this! " exclaimed the elder Gina. " Your big sis did it, guys! I found them! I found them on the other side of time! The masters of the previous existence! They're right in front of me now! The Nomad Artificers! "

"Jinkies!" Gina exclaimed, staring up at the view before them in awe. "Look at that! The planets! The machinery!"

For some reason, Ranma felt it would be wrong to speak … the sight of the planets, tamed stars and artificial moons was awesome … this race was truly great.

" Alpha Nine! " continued the enthused elder Gina in the recording. " Let me get you into the shot! You made this possible too! "

The focus of the recording moved, showing a green robot with what looked like a hat.

"I … I know him!" Gina gasped.

The elder Gina held out a box with a familiar creature within. Gina had described them to Ranma when she came back from the exploration on Jade, though she didn't tell him much else about what she had found.

" I think she'll get a kick out of them, " she said, confusing Ranma as to the context this had with the previous images. " They're always doing nice things for you … and for each other if you have more than one … They're called Pau. I got Tiffany the whole set! "

The whole thing set Ranma at unease … there was something spooky about this place, and he felt like he was being watched. But no matter where he looked, he saw nothing but light and shadow hitting objects, and no real presence was felt apart from his own or Gina's.

"We've reached the top, Ranma," interrupted Gina, snapping Ranma from his search. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Ranma assured her. "Just a little preoccupied."

" Gina … " a distorted Alpha Nine called, his image appearing on the screen that was the walls. He seemed badly damaged for some reason. " This is Alpha Nine … I hope you can hear me … we ran into trouble along the way – but … we made it through … We passed through the "eye" … _ Mission Accomplished_.

" However, there is more to add to my report …

" During our passage … after the … _difficulty_ … we encountered an anomaly. While crossing through the end of time to the beginning of time, something … attached itself to every complex device and mechanism within Prototype M14 H.A.D 7h.

" The side effects are inexplicable. The Life Support system began … "_growing_" … plants … grass … water … _life_ …

" And the Pau toys, the ones placed in my care … they move and interact _independently_. They play on the hull of the ship … like children on soft grass … they … _live_ … "

Images of Pau frolicking on grass by a stream appeared on the screen in place of the beaten-up face o Alpha Nine.

Some of them had wings like dragonflies, and zoomed above the others in playful laughter.

One or two had their eyes on their stomachs instead of their heads, and possessed horn-like protrusions on the head instead.

And some had two extra forelegs that they used for support while using the upper set to paw flowers or tickle the other Pau.

They all looked so innocent and happy, and made Ranma long for his daughter, even though one of his clones had recently held her for a moment and the memory of it had filtered back to him. It wasn't the same as holding her himself.

" The Hydro-Carbon Nanomachines that formed their infrastructure have transformed, " continued the image of Alpha Nine, not paying any heed to Ranma's musings. " Into _living cells_ … and even I have changed … the anomaly has stripped my memory banks bare, as a virus might … but I still function … just like a wooden puppet with its strings cut … yet _still moves_ …

" Gina … I will wait for you … as your last instructions to me requested … I will wait to give my final report to you … until then, Gina … until then … " the voice and image of Alpha Nine faded away.

"Does this mean what I have a sneaky suspicion of?" asked Ranma, surprise setting in.

"If it is that the Djinni were originally Pau, then yes," an equally surprised Gina replied.

"That explains why they can't use their powers on themselves …"

"They were made to do nice things for others …" said Gina, finishing his train of thought.

"What do we do with Madrid?" Ranma asked, checking the giant room once more for observers, but finding none.

"I have _just_ the idea for her …" Gina grinned maliciously, making Ranma cringe in short-lived sympathy for the Djinni. "You might want to start considering how to break it to your team of scientists that colonising the moon will be out of the question, though …" she added as an afterthought.

Wincing at the though of that meeting, Ranma followed Gina back to the elevator. Maybe he could convince Gina to let them at least turn the moon into a prison colony … at least then his scientist wouldn't feel as let down …

* * *

Author's Notes; I think I deviated a great deal from the Comics drawn by Fred Perry in this chapter, at least the part about the capture of Madrid and Prototype Alpha Seven … if you have a different opinion, please inform me, but do so in a polite manner.

I have noticed that the plot is getting increasingly difficult to think up, so I'll probably try to find a way to put the story to bed, so to speak. These difficulties are partly to blame for the lateness of this chapter … another part is that since the last chapter, my brother had his Confirmation, and as his godfather, I was obligated to attend the ceremony and some preparation, not to mention preparing for the celebration afterwards. Then there was the National Holiday. Then my Uncle had his 60th birthday, and as he isn't entirely well, in mind not body, the whole family was there to celebrate, along with friends of his with either a similar condition or people he'd met and befriended some other time. Then there has been this Ranma/Naruto crossover I had, inspired by the story "Cherry Blossom" by Largo, which I could not keep myself from tinkering with on The Fanfiction Forum, mulling over the idea with others … as soon as the next few chapters are finished, I'll post it here as well, but it will be in the Naruto section. The final obstacle in churning out this chapter, was the preparation for the "500 hit" marker on my profile at DeviantART, an occasion for which I felt I had to draw something.

I apologise again for the delay and the likely disappointing chapter length.


	43. Chapter 43

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

"They should have been back by now," she muttered to herself.

Normally, Britanny would have been in the thick of things where adventures and fights were concerned, but due to the life growing in her abdomen, she was forbidden from going to Yl'Dahjim, as it was guaranteed a danger, and could cause the foetus' death. Though she was a werecheetah, and thus had extreme healing if the damage wasn't caused by silver, magic or other werecreatures, she didn't want to risk finding out if the baby had acquired this ability this early in its development.

Actually, it had been Stryyp that had to remind her of her condition – she had been in the process of putting on her fighting gear when he found her.

"Come on!" Britanny growled and slammed her fists against a metal table, creating a sizable dent in it and tearing out the bolts holding the table legs to the floor. "I could have kicked Madrid's ass ten times by now - and I could possibly have destroyed the robot twice!"

"No you couldn't," argued Dao tiredly from where he was running a Disc Defragment to economise the hard drive. "That thing was equipped with Phantom Rings … you've tried wearing one of those things, so you know how destructive they can be. Not to mention that it's several times faster than the original models and reprogrammed to obey Madrid's orders … and, in your current condition, you would have been a liability rather than an asset.

"Besides, there is no way for us to know where they can find an exit, or whether there is a difference in how time runs in there."

"You're right," Britanny sighed and rested her back against a metal-plated wall. "I just wish they'd hurry!" sinking down to the floor, the werecheetah wrapped her arms around her knees and looked at the floating tablet, _willing_ it to spit out her family and friends.

As though answering her will, Stryyp, Seance, Gina, Penny, Hanza, Genn and Ranma appeared on the ground between the werecheetah and the floating tablet.

"Are you sure she won't be able to get out?" Genn asked Gina cautiously.

"Absolutely," Gina declared confidently.

"She has no way to get off the moon without destroying the capsule she and Prototype Alpha Seven are trapped within," Ranma added. "She won't want for anything other than creature comforts, and barring old age now that she's a hybrid of Djinni and human, she will not die, as Djinni are more or less immortal after what I gather. And it is highly unlikely that Prototype Alpha Seven will be depleted of his energy, given that his power source is much better than the Hurtbots Gina made until a few months ago, and he is essentially alive if not in body, then in spirit."

"You're back!" Britanny exclaimed, this being the only warning Stryyp had before finding his wife plastered all over his front, purring like a napping kitten in a particularly nice beam of sunlight.

"How nice to see you, too, sister," Gina commented in mock offence.

Ranma couldn't help but chuckle and wrap an arm about his present girlfriend, who settled for the one-armed hug and rested her head against Ranma's now human neck.

"I gather from your positive attitudes that you managed to thwart Madrid's plans?" Dao half asked.

"She won't bother anyone any more," Gina declared proudly. "And your scientists do not count!" she added to Ranma.

"But they were so set on colonising the moon!" Ranma mock pouted. This was a much better relationship than he had with any of the fiancées his father arranged for him. In those relationships, he could barely cough without it being seen as a proposal for dates or admission of perverse behaviour, in his current romantic life, Ranma felt confident that he could poke fun at his girlfriends without them beating him to a pulp or accuse him of cheating on them – granted, in his case, it couldn't be cheating as all his girlfriends were aware of, and tolerant of each other, even affectionate to a degree a step above friendship but below romantic. "Now they have to settle for Mars, which can hardly be seen by the naked eye from Earth … not to mention that it would take longer to get the planet habitable due to its larger size."

"At least colonists won't have to worry about anyone looking down at them with a telescope while they sunbathe," Gina joked, knowing it wasn't all that funny. "Come on, I'm taking a shower, and you're joining me, Lover-boy!"

Wearing a silly grin over his face in anticipation of the imminent event, Ranma still couldn't shake his disappointment over how easily they had won this conflict, and how clumsy and slow Akane and Ryoga had felt compared to before his transformation. He was growing at an astonishing pace and didn't like the lack of proper challenges to keep him from becoming overconfident in his abilities, and to keep him humble enough not to lord his skills over everyone like Kuno did.

If only – wait, there was a chance! He had a meeting with his fellow Weapons-Masters coming up in the not too distant future! Followed by selecting students from both the Kryn and Werewolves! Maybe he could find some challenges there?

* * *

All over Jade, the fighters and warriors carrying the title of Weapons-Master sneezed.

* * *

In the holding cell under the house of the Diggers sisters, Romeo sat up and groggily rubbed his head.

He was experiencing a whopper of a hang-over, and wondered why on Earth he had overdone his drinking to such a degree that he as a werecreature still felt it the morning after his binge.

Everything was clouded in his memory, and his sense of balance was off, requiring that he shift his arms to support his weight better – what was that? It was soft, warm, squishy, yet resilient – was it a heated pillow?

Turning his head, Romeo saw that what his hand had gotten hold of was not a pillow, though some crude person would undoubtedly callously refer to them as such – he had gotten hold of Moesha's left breast, and by the looks of things, she was very uncomfortable with part of his weight on her chest and the fingers digging into the breast.

It took a moment for Romeo's brain to catch up to the moment, but as soon as it did, he screamed in fear and jumped to a corner of the room, where he proceeded to make himself as small as possible.

Moesha was no less groggy than Romeo when she sat up, rubbing her head with one hand and her sore breast with the other. What had happened to cause a combination of the two aches? Had she ingested some sort of magical alcohol for its effects to linger so, or was there some other reason?

A shiver in her peripheral vision drew her attention.

Turning her head, Moesha saw her fellow wererat, Romeo, quiver in fright.

The ache in her left breast suddenly made sense, and to make sure, Moesha lifted her dark, ninja top enough to see the hand-print bruise left behind. Though they had been intimate the last time they had been imprisoned, their time in semi-freedom had driven them apart romantically, and this kind of behaviour was unacceptable outside of a romantic relationship.

"Y'know, Romeo, you just got yourself, like, an order of whoop-ass with a performance of, like, the Nutcracker!"

* * *

"Erwin, get away from the gift shop! I've gotten our rental car!"

Grumbling, Lord "Peewee" Talon turned away from the window of the electronics part of the Airport gift shop, where he had been watching the frequently aired Anime shows – it was an attempt to determine what it was about them that appealed to the masses – the female characters had annoyingly shrill voices, the plots were more riddled with holes than Swiss cheese, and they all copied each other at some point in scene set-up or action sequences. And if there by chance was a sliver of logic or originality in there, it must have been purely by accident. Quite frankly, he couldn't see what made them so popular – apart from the bare, female boobies that flashed across the screen at regular intervals, often in the form of "transformation" sequences. Okay, maybe that was part of it.

"_Now_, Erwin!" snapping from his musing, Peewee noted that his mother was getting annoyed.

Peewee's mood after the annoying flight did not improve as he saw the car his mother had rented. Derelict and positively ancient or out of date was his only description.

Granted, this was a top of the line Toyota family car, with DVD players in front of all passenger seats, and various environment-conserving devices to reduce emission and spend less fuel over longer distances. Its coat was shiny and grey and not a scratch could be found. But despite all this, Peewee was used to getting the best, the most expensive and flashy products on the market – and what he couldn't get, he'd put together himself.

"Why did you have to choose this one, mom?" he whined. "I'm sure they had something better!"

"I don't want to appear too snobbish," his mother explained as though it was obvious. "Last I heard from her before the call, my friend was living in a small apartment with two friends, sharing the bills, and working as a PE instructor of some kind for a school somewhere in the Tokyo area. I don't want her to feel too bad about not having all the things I have, so I chose something that seems more accommodating … and I'll have no more complaints from you, I'm sure this will be character-building."

"Yes, mom," Peewee groaned and slumped into the car, watching an attendant loading their luggage into the back through the mirror.

To think of all the experiments he could have been running if he hadn't been forced into this. Nothing would get done in his absence, so several of his more time-sensitive experiments would be impossible to complete by the time he returned. What a waste of resources.

"Don't turn on the DVD player, Erwin," his mother warned him as she sat into the drivers' seat. "I don't know how long it will take us to get to the address I was given, but I don't want you getting engrossed by some movie so I'll have to drag you out, kicking and screaming like we did when we last visited your Grandma and Grandpa."

"Yes, mom," Peewee sighed in defeat. There was no reasoning with that woman so there was no reason to try. The time she was talking about had been this hilarious documentary about dinosaurs, dating back over thirty years and riddled with inaccuracies in everything from diets, bone composition and species names, to cause of death or their status in the food chain. It had been one of the funniest things he had seen produced and supported by doctors that didn't require a prescription to acquire, and just because his grandparents were ancient, his mother had thought that they warranted his attention more than the show – which had led to the incident she had brought up.

It was a good thing he had it on disc.

The drive to wherever his mother's old pen pal lived would be better spent trying to figure out how to get a hold of Ranma's DNA – or Britanny Diggers' – or how to retrieve the wererat DNA samples that were stolen from him, or replace them with fresh ones as well as a living subject to study.

Another subject on his mind, was whether or not he should be worried about this new body guard Pincer had gotten. The woman was not near as flappable as the Harpy that used to be Pincer's bodyguard, which was what lost him an ancient relic that apparently had the ability to recite the thoughts of its holder.

And the thoughts of that Pincer woman caused his thoughts to stray; his pheromone cologne needed more work, because Pincer didn't even look the least bit hot or bothered. Maybe one of his incompetent goons had screwed with the formulae somehow?

His musing was interrupted by his mother slamming down on the brakes, and the momentum of their previous speed causing Peewee to snap forward.

"What happened?" he asked in a pained groan, rubbing his sore neck.

"They did," his mother growled and pointed – something very unusual as it was impolite to point – at the road just in front of the car.

Standing in the middle of the road was a young man and a young woman, looking over a map of the London Underground while pointing in different directions, arguing over where to go in gestures. They both carried backpacks that looked very heavy, and resting on top of the backpacks and sleeping bags, were matching bamboo umbrellas.

As the windows were closed, Peewee couldn't hear what they said, but they started moving shortly after the car had stopped, seemingly unaware of the danger they had been in.

Peewee saw his mother opening the car door to step out and share a few choice words with the couple, but they had disappeared in the short time mother and son had taken their eyes off them.

"Where did they go?"

Impatient motorists behind their car caused the elder Talon to return to her seat and restart the car. Apparently, it wasn't very popular to stop in the middle of the road in Tokyo without red lights blinding you, because of a funny TV show taping in the area or some sort of police blockade erected for some serious reason.

Grumbling about irresponsible pedestrians, Peewee's mother drove on.

Peewee, for once, couldn't help but agree with his mother. It was outright reckless to wander into the street without any awareness or weariness about traffic.

After some time – it was difficult to tell how long as there was so much to see, but nothing really entertaining – the car pulled to a stop.

"This is it," Peewee's mother announced.

Peewee looked out the window of the car to be met with a tall wooden and stone boundary wall with intricate designs along the support posts. The very top of a typical traditional Japanese house could barely be made out rising above the wall.

"Certainly a step up from a small apartment shared between three women," commented Peewee's mother, who stood out of the car and had a better vantage point than her son due to her height being somewhat more advanced. Her tone was one of admiration and approval. "Her son must have earned a decent living if he can afford a place like this in Japan …"

"Her son lives with her?" grimaced Peewee, appalled at the idea of still living with his mother when he grew up to legal age. How pathetic was this man?

"No, he invited her to live with him," his mother corrected, and gave him a stare that warned him not to comment any more on the matter. "And I think it is a very considerate gesture, taking in the woman that laboured for hours and hours to bring him into the world, _don't you agree_?" her tone was very strict as she asked the rhetorical question.

"No," Peewee answered regardless of the form of the question. She had brought him in on this without his consent, now she would get his opinion whether she truly wanted it or not. "He had no choice in the matter of being born, so I don't think it fair to bring up that argument to win sympathy - It's the mothers' own damn faults for not keeping better control over their urges that they end up in the situation of agony they mention whenever they feel like swaying sympathy in their favour."

"Very well," Peewee was surprised to find his mother so calm after he had more or less told her she was not in control over her urges, which would be interpreted as being promiscuous. "As you've given me an adult answer and opinion, I'll respect that and treat you more as one; No more allowance for you, if you want money in the future, you'll have to _earn_ it. And I will not accept you setting your lackeys to do any chores for you."

"WHAT?"

"If you wish to be respected as an adult and behave as one, then you will have to accept the fact that not all opinions will be met with open-mindedness and acceptance and that you will be treated differently because of how you express them. Think of it as a character builder – ah, the gate!"

Peewee, still in shock from his mother's declaration, could barely follow as his mother walked from the parked car to the gate, where hung a sign that declared that challengers to the owner of the dojo were to send a formal Challenge Letter - and for guests and solicitors that have an appointment to knock.

"We're guests, so here goes," Peewee hurried out of the car and to his mother's side as she knocked confidently on the frame of the gate.

Waiting for someone to answer gave Peewee time to think more about the consequences of this new decision his mother had made. He would have no funds to conduct his research – he would have no money to pay his employees – he would have no money to go exploring or to auctions for ancient relics! But worst of all, his mother suggested that he would have to do –shudder- _chores_ to earn money! He watched TV, he knew what chores meant! His mother now meant him to run around the house, picking up his own things, clean his room and mow the lawn without the escape of having his henchmen do it for him! And being as scary as his mother could become, she would have no problem intimidating those spineless buffoons into disregarding any orders he gave that may suggest they were doing his chores!

"May I help you?"

Standing in the now open gate was a young woman dressed in sweats, with brown hair in a bowl cut that almost reached her shoulders. She had obviously not expected company, and was much too young in Peewee's opinion to have been his mother's pen pal in High School.

"Yes, my name is Erin Talon, and I'm here to see Nodoka," Peewee's mother introduced herself. "I'm an old friend of hers and she invited me to come see her first grandchild."

The young woman looked the Talons over, popping a red lollipop into her mouth. "Okay, follow me."

Pushing the gate fully open, the woman walked into the garden instead of up the path to the door, gesturing for the two guests to follow.

Peewee looked the place over as he entered through the gate. It seemed a good mix between modern and traditional Japanese architecture. It was solid and sturdy but with a certain sense of aesthetics. The garden looked well kept, and the additional construction was clearly not meant as a home, nor as a shed – it might serve as a dojo, which indicated that the man who lived here was a fighter, or wished to be one and was rich enough to splurge on the additional building on his land.

"In here," called the young woman and indicated the open sliding door that led to a large room, a living room.

Sitting in the middle of that room, was a redheaded woman, who was playing with a baby on a soft, pink blanket.

"Aunty, there is a woman who claims to be a friend of yours here to see you," the young woman stated and flopped onto the sofa before turning to the TV, which had been muted.

The woman looked up from the giggling baby, a silly expression still on her face from having made it to the baby.

" Erin!" she exclaimed enthusiastically and would have gotten up if the baby hadn't disliked the sudden and loud sound.

"Nodoka," the elder Talon responded in a more subdued tone to appease the baby, who was taken into Nodoka's arms. "It's been too long since we last saw each other."

"It has," agreed Nodoka.

"I take it this is the granddaughter you mentioned on the phone."

"Yes," Nodoka beamed and held up her grandchild. "This is Rei Candy Koki."

"What a cute name!" Peewee made a face at the cooing his mother made. Why was it that normally rational, intelligent adults behaved like complete idiots around babies? "And your son seems to be doing very well for himself," the woman commented in the same tone as she made a face at the baby girl.

"Oh, yes … I don't see him running out of money any time soon," Nodoka replied proudly. "Ever since he got out from under the thumb of that no-good former husband of mine, he's been thriving in everything he tried his hand at! Love, business, Martial Arts, science … he even built this house mostly on his own and without the use of tools!"

"You're joking!"

"No, he used his fingers to drill holes in the wood, and shove nails into them," Nodoka explained, and pointed at the tree-like support beams supporting the roof of the dojo. "He carried those support beams single-handedly! Several hundred pounds and he didn't even look winded after putting them down! He even made the electrical system and power source from scratch!"

"I highly doubt it," commented Peewee under his breath, not counting on it being heard.

"Though I have no photographic evidence of the validity of my claim, I advise you not to underestimate my son," Nodoka stated and made a face at the baby to invoke a giggle out of her. "And you should tell your ninja to cut back on the use of smoke pellets; the sharp smell is very difficult to get out of clothes or hair, and some people have allergies against the _cheaper_ variant."

Peewee took a moment to comprehend what he was being told.

"I thought I told you to leave your little friends at home," his mother cooed, not wanting to upset the baby.

"I did!" Peewee argued, unfortunately loud enough to make the baby uncomfortable. The glares shot at him caused _him_ to become uncomfortable, but he wasn't as vocal about it as Rei.

"He did," Nodoka agreed, and fished out a pacifier from a bag that rested next to the coffee table. "If there had been an intruder on the premises, we'd know about it … I just picked up the smell of the smoke bomb in passing and felt like sharing my experience. What, you thought the sword on the rack was purely decorative?"

Peewee looked at the rack standing along the wall, and saw there was indeed a katana on it, wrapped in silk. By the look of things, it had not seen use in a long while. "Yes?"

"Kids today … no observation skills," Nodoka sighed.

"Hey, Aunty, where are- YOU!"

Standing in the doorway was none other than Brianna Diggers, pointing one of her slender digits at him.

* * *

Author's Notes; I don't know what Peewee's mother is called, I don't think it ever came up in the Gold Digger series, and being faced with an introduction of a more personal nature, I had to make up a first name instead of introducing her as Mrs Talon. Besides, it is similar to Peewee's real first name …

It's been a while, I know, but at least I made it within the one month period!

I've also noticed that a lot of people have favourited either ME of my stories more lately … perhaps it has something to do with the Search improvements, which I must admit makes finding stories easier as of late. I'm still a little annoyed with some of the search words I wish to filter out remain in the results, but you can't have EVERYTHING.

As some of you may have noticed, I seem to be running out of ideas – well, I am, and I will not include more crossovers into the story, because it will make the already shaky plot only that much harder to follow with the additional characters – this is one of the faults of many authors, resorting to an increasing number of multi-crossovers when they feel the plot needs furthering. I'm not saying that no one can pull it off, just that very few can and those who can't only turn a good story bad. I will not be one of those who destroy the story by forcing more crossovers into the story, I'm sorry. At best, this story can go on for another ten to fifteen chapters before the end, at worst, another five chapters after this one – I'm pushing for the best case scenario, but I WILL finish the story. There is nothing more annoying than an abandoned story, at least in my opinion, and I wish to annoy as few people as possible.


	44. Chapter 44

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

Chapter 44

* * *

Ranma stepped through the Ring and sighed in lazy satisfaction.

A shower with Gina or any one of his girlfriends was always less than productive, but still refreshing in other ways that required yet another shower.

Madrid and Prototype Alpha Seven had been locked away on the moon, the Wererats had been secured in a holding cell, and he was back home after a disappointing battle – he had only been allowed to fight once for a few moments before they all went to Yl'Dahjim where he hadn't gotten to fight at all – and if his clones' memories were correct, not only were the two Rings finished, but Nabiki had scheduled for them to look at property for the Company Headquarters the next day.

All was right with the world, was Ranma's opinion as Gina stepped through the Ring as well, and immediately snuggled his left arm.

"YOU!"

The exclamation was clearly heard across the garden from the house, and Ranma couldn't help but wonder what was wrong.

Immediately following the violent outburst, Rei's terrified screams made Ranma burst into action.

Before anyone could even blink, Ranma had _leapt_ across the garden, landed in the living room and picked up his daughter.

Only when the squirming bundle had settled against his shoulder did Ranma look up.

He had guests, it would seem – and Brianna knew them. Her accusatory finger and expletive proved as much.

"What is the meaning of this?" he enquired sternly, and gently patted Rei when she squirmed again at the tone.

"That boy is the one we told you about!" Brianna hissed quietly, keeping her finger pointed at the brown-haired kid. "He's the one who keeps trying to steal a sample of DNA from Britanny, and constantly tries to beat us to an archaeological dig or treasure!"

"Peewee?" Ranma remembered.

"Actually," corrected a woman Ranma didn't know, and in a child-friendly tone at that. "His name is Erwin Talon. I'm his mother, Erin. You must be Ranma – your mother has told me so much about you. You've made quite a name for yourself, too – I'm sure your mother is very proud."

"Mom!" Erwin snapped. "I'm _Lord_ Talon!"

"I named you Erwin, and that's what I'll always call you," Erin returned in her kind voice. "Play nice with your little friends, and be careful with your tone, you'll upset the baby!"

-Slap!-

The sound did its job in making Rei upset, and Ranma was not exactly thrilled to have an introduction to the flat of a hand to his face.

Turning back from the unintentional turn his head had made from the impact, Ranma noticed Ukyo standing there, fuming and trying not to look guilty for having made the baby cry.

"Where were you?" she demanded, only just making herself heard over Rei's cries. "You couldn't call or write to let me know you were okay? I had to find out through the media! If it weren't for you leaving like you did, I might not have gotten pregnant with Mousse's child!"

"Excuse me?" asked Gina, who had entered in time to hear the accusation. "How could you getting knocked up by hair-care products be Ranma's fault?"

"If he hadn't left, I wouldn't have moved!" Ukyo exclaimed. "Mousse wouldn't have sought me out because he thought Ranma was hiding with me, and I wouldn't have gotten a face full of that powder that made us go into a sexual frenzy for days on end, which resulted in my current condition!"

"I still don't understand how Ranma had anything to do with it," Gina commented unconvinced. Still, it seemed the norm for people to get ahead of themselves with Ranma – if Ranma's stories were to be believed; several boys thought Ranma had been out to steal their girlfriends for some reason or another. Several girls had believed that Ranma loved them, but had trouble declaring that love to them because of other girls suffering from the same conviction and as such tried to get him to themselves as often as possible, which resulted in him getting physically punished in some way.

"Trust me, this is the norm," Nabiki commented as she flopped onto the sofa, and turned on the TV to check the financial news. At Ranma and Nodoka's stare, she muted it and read the scrolling news flashing across the bottom of the screen instead.

"Oh my," added Kasumi as she made herself known while giving Ranma a hug. "Ranma-kun is accused of strange things all the time – unfairly so. But this is the first time he has been accused with responsibility for someone getting pregnant with someone else's child."

"Sounds like an awfully rude accusation to me," added Lydia and mimicked Kasumi's show of affection as the elder Tendo daughter stepped aside to let the line move along.

"That is a _bad_ boy!" Charlotte stated sternly and pointed a talon at the bespectacled boy, apparently completely unaware of the current conversation. Though, she also gave Ranma a hug, then added a little nuzzle to Rei before backing away.

"I think it sounds insane to blame someone who wasn't even there," commented Beebee and copied the others in giving Ranma a hug, ignoring Charlotte's off-topic comment.

"Is that duck trying to throw those knives at you through the bars of its carrier?" Sheila asked curiously before pulling Ranma down into a kiss by grabbing onto his free arm – while making sure not to do it suddenly for fear that Rei would fall out of his grip.

Gina sat down in front of the noisy duck and examined it as it violently flapped its wings, trying to force several blades through the grill of its carrier. "Is it wearing glasses?"

"Oh, Mousse is here as well," Ranma sighed. Couldn't he have a moment's peace?

"Ranma!"

Apparently not.

Turning around, Ranma saw his future mother and father-in-law, as well as Stryyp stepping through the Ring in the dojo and across the garden.

"Sensei, what brings you here?" asked Ranma, trying to keep annoyance from his tone – after all, one did not resent visits from one's teacher. Even when those visits coincided with times of desired solitude or family affairs.

"You seem to have forgotten that you have two appointments to keep," Dr Diggers chided softly, knowing from personal experience that babies tended to react to certain tones. "We are here to bring you to those two appointments."

"What appointme-" Ranma started before being struck with realisation. "That was today? I completely forgot in all the commotion taking place!"

"Which appointments are they talking about?" asked Nabiki suspiciously.

"I'm supposed to look at potential students of mine from both the werewolves and the Kryyn," Ranma supplied, reluctant to leave this mess behind unsolved.

After giving Rei a kiss, Ranma handed her to Charlotte, and walked across the garden to the dojo. In the dojo, he stowed away the two Rings his clone had finished in his absence and turned to face his sensei and company – Beebee and Sheila had followed and gave Ranma a stare that bode no argument.

"Sensei, how will we get there?" Ranma asked curiously. He had not been to either of the locations he was supposed to go to, and it was only natural to assume that those that came to get him would inform him of their mode of transportation in the process.

"We will travel by means of a Portal, Ranma," Dr Diggers explained in a tone that he usually only used while describing the techniques he was about to teach him. "Pay close attention to how I do it, I'll only show this _technique_ three times, you will have a day to learn it afterwards, understood?"

Ranma could not restrain his glee at learning a new technique, and grinned as he observed his sensei shape his energy. In a way, it reminded him of the energy pattern for his Rings, only more primitive, and not anchored to a specific item or destination.

"An important part of this is to envision perfectly where you want to go!" Dr Diggers called over the swirling sound of energy gathering before them. "If you haven't been there before, it helps to have a picture of your destination in addition to a map of some kind! Should you be inaccurate, you might end up making a portal somewhere else, or like with Teleporting you might end up under ground or high enough to get squished on landing!"

Nodding his head in understanding, Ranma watched as the swirling energy produced a shimmering surface of white surrounded by green.

"Pass through!" Dr Diggers called out, letting them know it was safe. None of them had wanted to repeat the mistake Gina nearly lost her life to on Jade during the Tournament of Arms, so they had remained stationary for their own safety.

* * *

While Ranma had been to Jade before, he had not been to the Sanctuary, and he certainly had not been able to create a portal to get there – but after this, he might.

The village they appeared in was a nice one despite its primitive look.

Like Jade, the architecture had the appearance of medieval European houses. Bricks, wood and thatched roofs was the main building material. The few exceptions were those with stone or iron, but those were official buildings. The streets were cobbled at places where there was heavy traffic, but was mostly composed of dirt.

And the landscape outside the village looked to be a tropical forest, trees reaching over sixty feet into the air, vines curling around the tree trunks or branches and foliage blocking out a large portion of the sky. In the distance the sound of water rhythmically washing against a beach could be heard, and small animals called out periodically.

This place would have seemed very pleasant if it wasn't for one minor inconvenience – the dozens of spears being pointed at the group.

"State your names and business," growled a very canine-like man menacingly. Covering his entire body was black and grey fur, and poking out from the leather pants he wore was a shaggy tail.

Like all the werewolves – because that's what they were – the one who chose to speak for them was very heavily muscled. Even the females were and _they_ chose to wear something that looked like swimming suits of weathered leather.

"I am Weapons-Master Ranma, accompanied by Arms-Master Julia, Arch Mage Theodore, Beebee, and Edge Guard Sheila Silvear," Ranma responded, seeing his elders looking at him with expressions stating that it was time he started using his title more. "I am here to select warriors to become my students, Jetta sent for me."

The spears retreated a few feet, but remained aimed at the group.

"We were expecting a werecat of some kind," the representative of the guards explained suspiciously, eyeing them each before returning sight to Ranma. "We did not expect you to bring companions … if you are indeed who you claim to be."

"You question the word of a Weapons-Master?" asked Sheila dangerously, still in her human form, which was coincidentally the more intimidating one due to her birth defect – not caring that there was half a dozen spears aimed in her direction.

"I'm sure Cagley was just being cautious," assured a new voice from outside the circle of werewolf guards. Parting for the woman the voice originated from, the guards revealed a female werewolf with brown fur, patches of white and a pale leather bikini like the ones several of the female guards wore. Their fashion might have something to do with the tropical heat and environment … though Ranma hadn't really taken note of it; the men wore leather shorts, loincloths or pants with detachable legs. "Welcome to the Sanctuary, Weapons-Master Ranma, Arms-Master Julia, Arch Mage Diggers. I am Jetta, now, would you and your group please follow me to the Council Building?"

The short walk to the building Jetta spoke of was somewhat more relaxing than the arrival of the group, given than the guards had stopped pointing sharp weapons at them even if some of them still followed them to make sure they didn't cause any trouble.

Ranma took quick stock of the guards and hoped for his own sanity that these were not among his prospective students – they were barely able to use their spears properly and most would likely end up pulling muscles or getting cramps in their arms within half an hour of using the things for combat. If they _had_ to use weapons, they should have bothered to learn how to properly use those weapons instead of relying on their natural speed, strength and magical regeneration to keep them from getting killed.

It sickened Ranma that people could be that dim-witted and reckless. And it made it even worse that these people had been hired to protect a village containing non-combatants!

His ire was sustained in him until they were inside the building, facing three rows of ten werewolves at attention and the Elders of the Clan lining the wall to oversee the event of a Weapons-Master choosing his students from their people. After all, Weapons-Masters in general had a reputation for only selecting the best, and most able to learn their style, and having one agree to visit for the express purpose of choosing students was somewhat of a big deal. And as this was a new Weapons-Master, of whom they had heard a great deal, their expectations of Ranma were higher than with any other Weapons-Master.

Feeling very much like a General inspecting the troops of some military installation, Ranma purposefully marched back and forth in front of the three rows of warriors.

"These are your best," Ranma half asked, half stated.

"Absolutely, Weapons-Master Ranma," assured a Council member.

"Very well," Ranma sighed. "Before I choose, I would like you all to take a test … I assume you all know how to read and write?" getting only nods from the anxious and cocky warriors Ranma nodded to himself before smirking evilly. "Good … because the first one is a _written_ test!"

* * *

A well turned woman in a red business dress sat leisurely at her desk in a low floor of an office building, reading over the planner for tomorrow with a smirk playing her painted lips, and a greedy gleam twinkling in her eyes, visible even through the slim reading glasses she wore.

Her name was Ikari Hanabi, and she was the best realtor at the Tokyo branch of Akaryū Real Estates.

It had been rumoured among her co-workers that she was capable of selling their most expensive and smallest properties to Scotsmen, who have long been considered as some of the world's most frugal people, and could even have gotten them to pay more for the property than advertised without resorting to cheating or swindling.

She was a very enterprising person, and would have made a good living in any profession, but she loved money and some of her co-workers had remarked that this would lead to her undoing.

This was not the case, as she happily had reported that morning.

Wild Horse Inc. had earlier that morning contacted her about looking for property on which to build their Headquarters, and given the fame that had rapidly built up around this company and its owner, she had no doubt she would be raking in a large commission in the near future, as she also enjoyed informing her colleagues of.

Yes, there was no end to how much money she was sure she'd end up getting out of the rapidly rising company, and if they were satisfied with her services, they'd contact her again if they needed to expand and she'd be set to retire!

Nothing would stand in her way, and no one could possibly ruin her ambitions!

* * *

"Okay … now that the written test is over, it is time to see what level of skill you possess," Ranma announced.

"Weapons-Master Ranma," started a Council member impatiently. "What is the purpose of having our warriors answering a long string of random questions? They are to become greater warriors, not scribes!"

"Do I tell you how to go about _your_ business?" Ranma asked casually. The old werewolf shook his head and sputtered in near outrage at the mere question, as well as in answer to it. "Then do not question my selection methods. The purpose and results of the written test will be made clear when I have selected my students, _if any of them pass_. Everyone, pair up! Start sparring!"

* * *

Meanwhile, on the initiative started by Ranma's clone earlier that day, some scientists from the Agricultural group of the Wild Horse Inc. had taken time out of their lives to visit farms that had been sporting bad profits for the past years.

These farmers were offered handsome sums of money for them to join the company with their resources, farm, crops and livestock. All they would have to do in return for a monthly fee was to grow crops or breed livestock for the soon-to-be-started chain of healthy fast food restaurants, and allow the scientists to experiment with their theories.

Running a farm was usually a very fluctuating source of income, depending on whether the year had been good for what they had selected to specialise in or if it had not, and the uncertainty of it was more than enough to drive the majority of the farmers approached into accepting. The two who refused were only doing so because they didn't want scientists running around ruining their land, or had already planned on selling their property to just about any farmer who made a decent offer.

Needless to say that the Agricultural group was ecstatic about their achievement and they hoped Tendo-jōshi would be equally pleased when they shared the great news with her in the morning. They knew Ranma would be pleased, but somehow, Tendo commanded their fear of unemployment or reprimand, even if she could not really do the first of the two fears without Ranma's say-so.

* * *

"Right, I've seen enough!" Ranma declared after having watched the warriors spar for ten minutes.

Those that had been winning felt very smug, a feeling that was apparent to all as they returned from the training grounds to the Council.

Upon entering the Council, however, they found Ranma had a look-alike already inside, looking over their answers. Before any accusations could be made about impostors or infiltrators, the look-alike disappeared in a small cloud of smoke, leaving their written test answers on the table.

"I have made my selection," Ranma stated after a moment of thought. "Would Poss, Vit, Mab, and the Juni twins please step forward?"

Thinking they were to receive the honour of being the students of the newest Weapons-Master, the five named warriors stepped proudly forward, making sure to shoot their fellow warriors smug looks before turning to face Ranma.

"You five should quit your jobs right now, because you shouldn't even be allowed near a weapon or battle if you were the last of your species," Ranma announced bluntly.

"WHAT?"

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded a Council member, the same that had questioned the written test, Ranma noted. "Those five were the best fighters we have! They have done nothing to warrant such condemnation!"

"I don't base my selection on fighting prowess alone," Ranma admitted, and felt somewhat vindicated as Jetta restrained the man from interrupting him. Dr Diggers stood in the door with the rest of Ranma's group and listened carefully. "My first test wasn't the written test, but rather a superficial look at their aura, to judge whether or not they were trustworthy.

"The written test was a test of character, to find out what type of character they were by asking a series of seemingly random moral questions and dilemma they had to answer honestly, which they did, I assure you.

"The sparring was to allow my shadow clone time to read through the answers, while I took note of certain individuals' tactics and scruples.

"In short, this was all to figure out which of your warriors would survive my training, and whether or not they would abuse it or teach others without my express permission. Only one such individual existed in this bunch, but I felt the need to point out those who had no business defending others," Ranma finished. "Pikat, would you please step forward?"

A red-furred female werewolf, with white patches on the stomach and throat stepped forward nervously, understandable given what had happened to the previous warriors that had been named.

"Congratulations, you are now my first official student," said Ranma with a kind smile.

* * *

On the planet Aebra, the homeworld of the Kryn people, a swirling portal opened in the middle of a palace.

"Honestly, you'd think they never heard of morals and values," Ranma grumbled as he stepped through the portal with the others and rubbed his abused ears.

The warriors that had not been chosen had been quite vocal in their opinion about his selection methods, and his selection – and most of the Council had not been any different, with one or two exceptions. They were only a few insults away from not being given a Ring through which his student could travel back and forth for tutelage without having to move out of her home. Jetta had put an end to the bickering, and quite firmly in a tone only a mother can manage told them that the decision was final, and there was nothing they could do to change that choice in their favour. It was almost amusing to see how quickly the adults had been cowed at the tone of their leader.

Jetta was thankfully also aware of the potential abuse of the Ring system, and agreed to Ranma's proposal of locking the thing away completely until Pikat was keyed into it with his other students, and various safety measures were put into place around each Ring. He would of course let her know when it was safe, and work very hard on making and installing the security on each end of the Rings – or rather, a few clones would do that while he tended to business matters and his loved ones.

"Not everyone is capable of accepting criticism," Stryyp commented sadly. "And even fewer can take hits to their ego lying down."

"Hopefully your people won't be as vocal about my selection methods," stated Ranma in a questioning tone.

"Perhaps not, but don't be surprised if some noblemen approach you for various reasons beyond training our warriors," sighed Stryyp. "I've told them not to approach you, but some people are exceedingly talented at finding loopholes in orders and laws."

"So it isn't just the human species …" muttered Ranma. No matter the shell around it, many souls were easily corrupted by politics – a shame, really. "Okay, let's get this over with …"

* * *

Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay – my muse is currently on strike, so I had to force everything along, something the Union for Collected Inspiration frowns upon and placed all sorts of blocks in my way – this had the added effect of reducing the quality and length of the chapter. Adding to that, I just got my hands on the last Harry Potter book, and could not resist the Siren Song that is the writing of J.K. Rowling (Nor the call of Eric Nylund's Halo – The Fall of Reach … or J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit … I'm weak! I can't resist temptation!)

Another apology might be necessary, as I seem to have lost track of the timeline in the story – if I made any noticeable mistake, please send me a message rather than waste it on the review.

Someone might recognise the names I used to create a Nabiki-wannabe: Ikari Hanabi. I borrowed the Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangelion, and the Hanabi from Naruto …

The name Silvear is one I got off Wikipedia, because I have failed to locate the places where Sheila and Garfield have been formally introduced with last names.

On a side note, I've just passed 300 pages of text in this story. Times New Roman, 10pt font, 2cm margins all around.

Translation: "Jōshi" superior (in a job/within a company)


	45. Chapter 45

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

The days following Ranma's student selection were hectic. 

Nabiki had scheduled several viewings of plots of land for the future Wild Horse inc. headquarters, which Ranma had to come along to see, given that he was the owner, and had likely a better idea of how much space they needed. The realtor was not unlike how Nabiki might have turned out if she hadn't gotten such a stead, high-paying job and Ranma hadn't shown up in her life … well, maybe she was worse than Nabiki would have been … the more expensive the property, the more desperate the woman was to sell it.

This held true both for the search for Headquarters and for plots of land where their fast-food chains were to set up.

Ranma suspected the woman had an orgasm when he announced his intent to buy as many as six plots, scattered across the Tokyo area, the headquarter plot being the closest to Ranma's current residence. At least, she shivered and moaned happily when he signed the papers. 

To make matters worse, Rei had a mild case of the sniffles, which on any other baby would likely be the equivalent of the flu. Still, it was enough to have the whole house worrying over her, tending to her every need, and wringing their hands as they hoped she'd get better soon.

Ranma's time of the month came, lasted a few days and went away with no more bother than a dull ache in the abdominal region and a series of explanations to the Talons.

Mrs Talon and her son were still staying, as Nodoka was not yet done reminiscing about the good old days, and as punishment for his attempts at procuring a DNA sample from any of the inhabitants of the house, Erwin had to sit through it without the distraction of any form of media, and he had to participate in the conversation when they thought there was something he could add.

Let's just say that a few days of having to listen and talk about rashes, dirty nappies, stretch marks, feminine issues, and pop idols or anime he'd never even heard of was enough of a deterrent from trying again for a while.

Still, he was constantly kept under supervision, either by those who lived there, or Brianna's Peebos, who kept yelling out things like "Bad boy, go Boom on you if you disobey!" or "Make my day!" at him.

Ranma's security had to be set up in the dojo - Then similar security had to be made for the other Rings, and after a few tests, a policeman showed up at the gate to inform him that some of the neighbours had complained about the noise, and to keep it down in the future. This was something Ranma couldn't readily promise – but it gave him ideas for making a sound-muffling field around the property … and given how loud Martial Arts training could get, that was probably not a bad idea … he would take the idea up with Gina.

The security was composed of a user recognition system in the controls of the Rings, and a sensor for the same just in front of the vortex. Unregistered users would not be able to make it work, or follow through the vortex. On the off chance that either of those failed to prevent someone from travelling between the Rings, the departure Ring would alert the Ring on the other side, and activate a series of cannons with Peebo AI that would hold the unwelcome traveller in place with threats or warning shots until Ranma or someone in his stead came to handle the situation.

The Agricultural Research group presented the results of their excursions to the farmlands, and expressed their satisfaction with the selected plots for the fast-food chain's starting locations.

At the same time, Ranma had to inform the joint teams about the change in plans to colonize the Moon. Everyone present expressed their sadness at this loss, but brightened when Ranma suggested they could make it into a penal colony where prisoners were allowed only the simplest tools to farm and build shelter, and no other advanced technology existed on its surface – several armed satellites could orbit it to make sure no one thought of creating more advanced technology, though. Not much of a problem, given the level of technology Ranma had at his disposal, and the friends and allies he had gained …

Ukyo and Mousse departed in a huff when Ranma lost his temper with them for another of Mousse's attacks, this one strafing a tiny, nearly unnoticeable cut on Rei's arm.

If it hadn't been for Rei's accelerated healing repairing the damage almost instantly, and her lack of distress, Ranma would most likely have been serving Peking Duck to Ukyo and the Amazons, without killing the duck before making it. A slow roast should give Mousse time to think of his foul deeds before meeting his maker.

As it was, Mousse could see no wrong in his faulty aim, and Ukyo was not claiming responsibility for the actions of the Amazon male. So Ranma kicked them out, and refused to let them back in until such time that they admitted to their faulty judgement and apologised.

For some reason, Kasumi shivered in excitement at seeing Ranma so strict and protective.

Then, not three days after having evicted his former best friend, Ranma was visited by various diplomats and military representatives from rich countries. They wanted to know if he would, or they could, research into making his ki-tech and chi-tech into a mass destruction weapon, though they did their best to use big words and complicated phrases and sentences to disguise it.

In an effort to preserve some sense of civility, Ranma politely declined, and asked them to leave before he lost his temper. Didn't anyone listen to him when he explained the global, if not solar system-wide implications such a weapon could cause? A warhead detonation with incorporated chi-technology would be enough to potentially cause the planet's core to collapse in on itself, destroying all life on the planet and possibly causing a so far theoretical phenomenon known as a black hole! And that was only if there was some modicum of control over the explosion – and ki-tech warheads would only be effective as a suicide weapon, as it would require the one who armed it to stay in close proximity to it to be effective – even if they did find a way to detonate such a warhead, it would have to be detonated within such a short time that no amount of running or flight could escape the blast radius, or the energy stored would bleed out.

Ki-grenades could be possible, but that would require so much ki from the user that a normal person would only be able to throw a single one before collapsing from exhaustion – because the explosive properties needed couldn't suffice with merely superfluous bio-energy they would get from the short periods they would be worn before use. Of course, this made little sense considering the apparent massive energy requirements the Stuff-Space generators would have required under normal circumstances – but Ranma was not interested in searching for a way to make this idea work like he had the Stuff-Space generators.

The final reason he sent the ambassadors and representatives packing was that Ranma would not condone the destruction of a planet that housed billions of lives – even if he and his friends and family had the option to move to a different realm or planet if they so desired.

Come to think of it, perhaps he should look into building homes on Jade and Aebra so he had somewhere to retire or go on vacation when the pressure of his work became too much … his daughter and future children would benefit from learning of the different places and cultures as they grew up …

And speaking of other cultures, Hanza while still in America with Penny, had gotten in contact with Nabiki over the days, and they spoke frequently. The former male ninja had started adapting to modern technology, and knew the basic functions of a telephone, which Penny grudgingly accepted the charges for.

Sheila was adapting very well to modern appliances as well, having successfully popped a bag of popcorn for the evening when they all sat down to watch a movie. And she didn't want to share, much like a predator not wanting to share its first kill …

At the end of the week, a courier arrived at the door with a nomination for the International Scientist of the Year Award for his Stuff-Space Generator, complete with three tickets to the ceremony. The real problem was deciding on whom to take without offending anyone. In the end, Nodoka and Gina would come – his mother to allow the press to photograph the proud mother of the prominent young scientist, should he win. Gina was there to show that even if she, as a fellow scientist, was not nominated or won, she was still a good sport about it – of course, she had made Ranma promise some alone-time with her in return.

There was still a few weeks left until that event, though.

* * *

"Finally," Ranma sighed as he and his family, including his girlfriends and Nabiki, stood in the dojo and watched the Ring flare to life. Rei was there as well, but due to her condition of changing shapes at random times, she was currently a pink griffin with diapers, resting on her mother's arm.

With the security completed, it was time for Ranma to welcome his students for their first lesson … and for _his_ first lesson as an instructor.

Mind you, he was not acknowledged by the government as an instructor, but that did not matter to those he would be teaching. He was named a Master on Jade, and that was good enough for his new students.

While he did his best not to show it, Ranma was nervous.

He had never taught anyone before, and given how his father taught him, he was anxious about the possibility that he wouldn't be able to teach others what he knew – or that he would have to resort to such painfully dangerous methods as Genma used.

Julia had given him an idea for one way to train his students … they would help him construct the buildings he was to erect in the near future, without the aid of machines. The most advanced machine would be a pulley system to transport heavy material higher than ground level, or safely to lower levels. And that was a kinder training than Julia, who had her students build their dojo, and her daughter build a pyramid. Though in all fairness, the pyramid only came into the picture as punishment for Britanny's shopping spree.

Stepping through the Ring was Pikat, the female, red-furred werewolf that was the first one chosen to be his student, and the Ring deactivated behind her. She was dressed in a white Martial Arts Gi, which Ranma had provided when he visited the village to install the security system for the Ring. The last thing he needed was to have a half-nude woman parading about his dojo – especially with his girlfriends living with him in the house across the garden.

Pikat also brought with her a sword, very similar in make to a Zweihänder, but with a blade nearly four times as wide, and with runic letters engraved along the middle. It practically glowed with power, and Ranma was curious of its enchantments – but he wasn't going to let his students start with weapons just yet, so it would have to wait before it would be used.

"Welcome, student," Ranma greeted, recalling that to be his current sensei's favoured way of addressing him. He guessed it was to remind him of his status and to keep him from getting too cocky. "I trust your trip wasn't uncomfortable?"

"No more uncomfortable than a Portal Spell, Weapons-Master Ranma," Pikat answered and bowed respectfully to him.

"Leave your weapon against the wall and have a seat on the ground - we are waiting for your fellow students to arrive."

"Yes, Master," nodded the werewolf and did as instructed, sparing a glance at the others in the room, and showing only a slight hesitation in relinquishing her sword.

The werewolf had barely knelt on the ground when the Ring flared to life again, and two identical Kryn men stepped through, similar fur markings to the werewolf, but possessing no tail and being more feline in appearance than canine. They too wore the Gi Ranma had brought with him to Aebra when setting up its security, and brought with them a pair of short swords, and something that looked like a firearm of some kind.

"Welcome, students," Ranma repeated, adding a plural form to the address. "Please relieve yourselves of your weapons and have a seat next to Pikat."

The twins shrugged and did as told, taking up places on either side of the curious werewolf.

"Before we begin, I would like to introduce you to my family, they may stop by during training at some point," Ranma started.

The introductions of his family was short, indicating only which name belonged to who, and what their relation was to him.

"Family, I would like you to meet my students," Ranma continued. "The middle one is Pikat, and the twins are Spade and Blade … I haven't asked which is which yet, but I'll figure it out.

"Now, I would like all who are not supposed to participate in the lesson to vacate the dojo … I might accidentally bore you to death with my lecture on the tenets of Martial Arts before we start warming up."

* * *

A firm knock was heard all over the Koki home, originating from the gate.

Shortly after Ranma's dismissal, the majority of the female occupants had decided to go out for a while, spending a little of Ranma's money on an article of clothing he might appreciate, or some sweets.

Nodoka, Erin and Erwin occupied the artificial hot springs out back, and would not be able to hear the knocking over the bubbles, Erwin's pained groaning and the women's conversation.

This left only Kasumi available to answer while Rei was taking a short nap.

"Yes, what may I-" Kasumi's polite and cheerful greeting ended abruptly as she stared in shock at the visitor. "Father?"

* * *

Several hours later, Ranma dismissed his students for the day, watching them stumble through the Ring to their respective homes, so tired they didn't notice they had forgotten their weapons.

He wasn't very satisfied with their progress.

Five hours of learning the basics and they still hadn't gotten it right.

By this time, he would normally be ready for advanced lessons in whatever fighting style he was learning – provided it wasn't special techniques … he needed a little longer for each of those if they were completely new to him or he didn't have someone demonstrate it for him.

To add to it, Pikat and Spade seemed to be on the verge of more than friendship after only a few hours! Such a romance would only hinder their training by distracting them! If they explored the romance and it turned sour, it would show in their interaction with one another in training, which would not be a good thing.

Ranma closed his eyes for a moment. He would either have to nip this in the bud, or tell them not to start any kind of romance until after they were finished learning from him.

As he slid open the doors to the dojo, both to air out the sweaty smell and to exit, Ranma had to remind himself that not everyone had the adaptability needed to learn a new style fast.

At least they were getting along and didn't complain about how much of a slave-driver he was. It would only mean he had to be tougher on them if they said something … discipline was important, after all, and sometimes you had to work with people you don't like, so it was important not to yell out the smallest opinion of that someone … Or even whisper that opinion, as some have better hearing than others.

The house sounded empty when he first entered, but the sudden laughter of his infant daughter caught his ear and he followed it to the living room to see a sight he had never imagined he'd see.

Kneeling on the ground in front of Rei's blanket was Tendo Soun, making faces at the currently human Rei that caused her to giggle, laugh, and wave her arms in excitement.

Kasumi was watching carefully from the sofa, and didn't look like she knew if she should be happy to see her father act so playful towards an infant, if she should have denied him entry or if she should be cross with him for forcing her and Nabiki to abandon their childhood home for fear of outrageous demands forced on them.

"May I ask what you are doing in my home, Tendo-san?" Ranma asked as politely as possible. There were only a handful of reasons he could think up that would bring the Tendo Patriarch to seeking him out in this manner, and none of them were all that appealing to be forced into.

The sole male Tendo looked up just in time to get hit on the side of his face by a flying rattle Rei had been waving. Momentarily distracted, Soun picked up the toy and smilingly handed it back to the infant. He was about to respond to Ranma's question when the hit repeated itself, much to Rei's amusement.

It looked like Rei had discovered the joys of playing "fetch" with a willing victim.

After a few unsuccessful tries, Kasumi took mercy on her father and started playing with Rei.

"I came to see my daughters," Soun chuckled, still amused from his game with Rei. A bruise was already forming on his left cheek, where the rattle had struck unerringly each time.

"How did you know where to find them?" Ranma questioned suspiciously. It wasn't exactly like their names were listed in the phone book – at least, the Tendo women weren't listed by address, as by some stroke of luck, the last phone book was updated while they lived with Nodoka.

"I have friends in the city council," Soun explained. "They couldn't find an address for Kasumi or Nabiki, but they had yours, and according to several magazines and newspapers Nabiki works for you, so I came to see if you knew of their whereabouts.

"I know you have no reason to trust me, but unlike what you may think, I'm not here to force you to marry one of my daughters, even if it would make me happy," Soun continued. "I've changed … or rather, got some sense knocked into me. After Genma was arrested and Master Happosai was publicly revealed to have lived with me, I was ousted from my position on the City Council – then Akane disappeared, leaving me with nothing but my grief and a massive debt that seemed to have piled up over the years but now had no one fighting it on my behalf.

"I tried to kill myself-" Kasumi gasped in shock at this revelation, and Ranma's cool exterior wavered for a bit. "-but lucky for me, the water was too shallow, and I was found by Hinako-chan.

"She convinced me to turn myself around, reopen the dojo for one or two students to make enough money to start paying off my debts and rebuild the damaged property. I'm not out of the woods, but I'm getting there slowly, and though it pains me to admit it, Hinako has partly filled the hole left by my wife …"

"Father, that's wonderful!" Kasumi cooed, making it seem to Rei like she was addressing her. "Mother would have wanted you to move on with your life - It's good that you've discovered that." She finished by blowing a raspberry on Rei's stomach, eliciting a high-pitched squeal of delight from the infant.

"So you've given up on trying to join the Schools," Ranma guessed. A brief flicker of Kasumi's eyes told him that she wanted to tell her father about her relationship with Ranma, but a miniscule shake of Ranma's head told her not to – they could wait a while before telling. He tried to convey as much with his eyes, but he wasn't sure how much got through.

"It was a wonderful dream," Soun sighed. "But for there to have been a school to join with the Saotome School, I would have been required to train Akane a great deal more than I had … I'm ashamed to admit that I let up on her training when- oh, let's just admit that I was a failure as a father. By all rights, the social services should have taken my girls away the moment my wife died, given how much of a wreck I was …

"But, let's not dwell on that subject, or the baby might pick up on the underlying mood."

"True," Ranma agreed. "Babies have a gift for picking up on such things."

"Whose is it, by the way?" Soun asked, looking closer on the giggling child. "Is it an Amazon? Pink isn't exactly a common hair colour …"

"No, I can guarantee that Rei is not an Amazon," Ranma assured. "She's half Harpy and half Werecat … I think some red pigments from my side of the family carried over with the blonde of her mother's, mixing the two."

At that precise moment, Rei sneezed and changed shapes into her winged feline form. Rolling onto her stomach, she proceeded to crawl away from Kasumi while making cute chirpy mewing noises. The eldest Tendo daughter scooped up the cub and proceeded with tickling her behind her ears.

"She's yours?" Soun asked, shocked to the core. "But that would mean she was conceived-"

"A few of weeks ago, a little over a week after I disappeared," Ranma interrupted. "Her mother's a Harpy, and as such she lays eggs when reproducing, which will cut down on the gestation period. She wanted a baby, and I wasn't in any state to refuse, and a little under a month later, I'm a father. Makes my dislike for my own father grow when I think of how I'd feel if Rei went through even a fraction of what Genma did to me over the years."

"His training methods were extremely distasteful and terrible," Soun agreed. "And I'm not saying anyone else should repeat them – but they were effective in you. I'm not defending his actions, but he made you the warrior you are today. The best warriors mature through adversity, and I can honestly say that I don't know anyone who has had more hurdles in their path than you – but it's your experiences that turned you into what you are.

"Just make sure you don't get blinded by the prospect of glory through your child, like Genma did – learn from his mistakes, don't repeat them," the moustached man finished.

"Wise words," Ranma conceded. Not knowing how to proceed in this awkward situation, he opted to find an out – and a deep breath reminded him of what he was supposed to do when he came inside. "My apologies, but I just finished teaching a class and would like to take a shower before I play with my daughter or the others return."

"That's quite all right," Soun assured him. "I'll only stay to apologise to Nabiki for my behaviour, and then I'm off. Please don't hesitate to call or visit if you have the time."

* * *

When Ranma finished his shower, he returned to the living room to find Kasumi and the others there, chatting about their excursion and Soun's visit.

Rei was being played with, and passed along down the line to resume play with the others.

The TV was on, and so was the news, which at that moment displayed the Wild Horse logo in a corner while the Anchorman shuffled his notes.

In other news, the stiff man read. A mysterious branch of the American government made an arrest of a man named simply Gothwrain. the image of an ancient, bald, rat-like man being dragged from an office building to an armoured vehicle replaced the anchorman. A spokesman for "Agency Zero" said that they were acting on evidence that Gothwrain was planning, among many illegal things, to spread rumours about Wild Horse Inc. in order to drive it into the ground and take it over.

The combined evidence collected in Gothwrain's office and home would amount to the equivalent of three life sentences.

The spokesman for Agency Zero assured us, upon inquiring about rumours concerning the possibility of escape, that they had special precautions put in place to prevent the chances of escape, the camera filming Gothwrain being guided into the car shook, and Ranma spotted a ninja crouching on a roof in the distance. It almost looked like a gargoyle, but the cloth moved in the wind.

"That's the wererat leader!" Lydia exclaimed, pointing a shaking hand at the screen where Gothwrain's face was barely visible through the bars in the car window.

"And there was at least one ninja observing the arrest in the distance," Ranma agreed.

"A coup?" Gina suggested. "Perhaps he was trying to push for some rules his servants didn't like, and they used Wild Horse Inc. as a tool to get their way …"

"Maybe …" Lydia agreed pensively. "But he knows magic! He's a mage! Almost as good as Dr Dig-"

"They did say they were taking special precautions," Brianna interrupted, cutting Lydia off from saying the name. "The ninja must have told this "Agency Zero" th- wait a minute … Stryyp was approached by someone from Agency Zero … they are a group of what used to be Superheroes, but due to villains popping up and exterminating them, they got government funding and started looking as normal as possible while working from the shadows! Of course! And they must have special facilities to hold people like Gothwrain!"

"But why would wererats put in an effort to help a werecat?" Sheila asked. "From what I remember of the myth, they've done their best to destroy any werecat species on Earth."

"We may never know," Ranma concluded. "But I hope they won't change their minds again …"

* * *

Author's Notes: As stated in last chapter, my muse is on strike for the moment – has been since around New Year, actually, just didn't give notice about it until June. As such, the posting of chapters in this story will diminish in speed – but despair not, I will finish, and will not abandon it until that time to take up other projects though several are in the planning stages.

The more perceptive of you might have noticed that I've been tying up quite a few loose ends lately – well, it has to do with my determination to end the story before I resort to drastic measures to revive it again, for example: Alternate dimensions, Time Travel, extra crossovers or a combination of the everything. This would not be a good thing, as I am losing the drive to write this thing, so the chapters would take much longer to come out, would be shorter, and plain crappy … I'm giving the story up while there's still some life left in it, but I will end it within the next couple of chapters … it will not live to see its second birthday.

Also, I would like to apologise for not including the Small Writing Tips for who knows how many chapters … I have loads of them ready, but didn't feel like adding them as they don't seem to make more of a difference than me informing authors of their mistakes (which is _no_ difference in well over ninety percent of my efforts) – Still, thanks to those that sent in their suggestions. 


	46. Chapter 46

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

Chapter 46 

In Atlanta, Lord "Peewee" Talon was relieved to be back within the comforts of his lab. There was, after all, not place like home. 

His employees were glad to see him, but were immensely surprised when the boy immediately set about scrapping all his research concerning werecreatures.

"What the blazes are you doing?" demanded the bald power-house woman. For as long as he'd known, Talong had been obsessed with getting a DNA sample of a werecheetah for study, and had been close to success in it several times. Now he had come very close to unlocking its secrets – or so he had claimed before being dragged off by his mother – and was suddenly throwing it all out.

"Conserving my good health," Erwin snapped. "From now on, I'm ceasing all research on human and humanoid DNA, and focusing on something safer … perhaps botany … there's always need for better crops or prettier flowers!"

Being preoccupied using his highly advanced computer to order botanical equipment over the internet, Erwin failed to see the worried glances exchanged between his six employees.

* * *

In Nerima, Kuno Kodachi shivered and dropped her shears in the middle of cutting a dead leaf from the rose stem.

Her father was hiding somewhere in the masses of tourists in Hawaii, her brother was imprisoned in a mental institute on an island outside Tokyo, one catering particularly to criminally insane.

Kodachi had planned on seeking out the redheaded harlot to reclaim her precious Ranma, but being suddenly stuck with all the financial responsibilities of the Kuno clan, her experiments being under scrutiny by the National Board of Health for potential risks to the neighbourhood and training for another tournament in Martial Arts Gymnastics … she just didn't have the time.

Ranma seemed to be fine, if the news she got about him in the gossip magazines and the most recent article about his company in "Botany Quarterly" was close to correct. The harlot had once been depicted in his place, with his name as her own … she had immediately contacted the editor about the error and demanded to learn her true name, not the one she claimed as her own.

And just then, in the middle of pruning her black roses, she got the feeling that someone would rob her of her high standing in flower culturing.

This did not bode well.

* * *

It towered high into the air.

Its whiteness gleamed in the sun.

The nearly indistinct lines that made it up became even less noticeable as they fell into shadow.

Ranma hated very few things outright, but he hated it with a passion.

Tearing another sheet of paper from the top of the stack in front of him, Ranma idly wondered if hiring someone to read those papers and make a summary for him would be even more work for him than it already was … already his paperwork could have filled the entire Tendo home from top to bottom. Idly, he started wondering how many forests had been sacrificed for his paperwork alone, and whether it was possible to produce an environmentally friendly paper substitute. He would have to research that at a later date, because unfortunately he had work to do.

His only consolation was that he was only a clone, and that his _actual_ self was back home, teaching his three students, and that he got to see his friends from Furinkan Science Club every day between forms and papers.

"Koki-sama!"

Speak of the devil.

Almost kicking down the door to his office was Kashima Iwo's girlfriend - as the word around the watercooler claimed - and the head of the Military Research department.

Trailing behind the young woman, whose hair was looking even more uptight and frazzled than usual, was the lobby secretary, who looked quite harassed and annoyed.

"We've made a break-through in the armour project!" the scientist declared, ignoring the secretary opening the door and unhappily inspecting the new hole in the wall where the handle had struck it.

"Really?" Ranma asked excitedly. At least it was a break from the monotony of paperwork.

"Well, we haven't fully tested it yet, but based on your calculations and additional information offered by Diggers-san, we've come up with a way to introduce a shield mechanism to the entire armour without making certain parts unprotected or extending the shield so it goes beyond the armour in any direction … we're preparing a battery of tests right now!"

"I can't really miss that, can I?" Ranma insisted while trying not to sound desperate, and got up from his seat. "I'll have to do this later, show the way!"

"But-"

"No time to argue," Ranma interrupted before the receptionist could persuade him into returning to his paperwork or the scientist could claim he wasn't needed for the tests. "We've got a test to see!"

There was a second reason Ranma was so excited about the armour, and that was simply because several people he knew had suits of armour and though it might be inconvenient and constricting, there might come a time when he would need the extra protection.

Maybe he could try the armour on …

* * *

Pikat had just finished the female form of the kata Ranma had recently taught them when the sensei in question shot up.

"THEY SHOT ME OUT OF A CANNON INTO A WALL!" he bellowed in shock.

Dismissing his students for the day as fast as he could without damaging their training, Ranma stormed into his house and tore the phone from where it had been sitting peacefully only to stare at it in his hand.

He forgot that he didn't know the number for his company.

BeeBee removed the communications device from his hand, helpfully dialled the number and handed him back the phone, giving him a peck on the cheek before practically skipping back to the sofa where Kasumi was relaxing for a moment in front of the TV – her favourite anime was on.

He was transferred from the front desk to the Military Research Department, where Ranma immediately started yelling at the first person to answer. One did simply not fire ones boss out of a cannon … especially not into a brick wall not more than a few feet from the muzzle.

Being turned into canned soup within the suit was not a pleasant experience, especially not for someone as strong as Ranma. Thankfully, it was only a clone, so he wasn't really hurt, but still …

Eventually, Ranma's tirade wore down to a level where the other person could get a word in.

"Not a scratch!" the woman on the other end squeaked as Ranma took a breath. This caught his attention.

"What?"

"The armour!" clarified the unidentified woman. "Not a scratch on it! Not a thing out of place!"

Like ice water dropped into a raging volcano, Ranma's outrage evaporated at this news.

As he absorbed the news, Ranma realised that his scientists had confirmed whether he was the real him or the clone before allowing him to conduct the tests they had lined up, and being fired out of a cannon had been the last on that list.

Ranma recalled a long explanation of the tests they had already done, such as the acid test where they poured acid onto the finished model with the shielding embedded into it, to observe if there was any visible effect on the surface or deeper.

The memories of watching them fire an anti-tank ballistic at the suit worn by a dummy standing on a float outside Tokyo flashed before his eyes.

For safety, the police and explosive experts from the military were present to supervise, and make sure they didn't do anything wrong … they had been very astonished to discover that even the powder residue from the resulting explosion from impact, something that would normally be positively etched into regular armour even if it hadn't been directly hit had washed off after the brief dip in the ocean before it was retrieved.

"Are you sure?" Ranma croaked. If this was true, all their tests had not managed to damage the suit. Granted, at present time, the person inside would be killed by the pressures exerted on it from such tasks as taking a mortar round head on, but that was the next thing they were scheduled to fix. "Does that mean we're ready to proceed?"

"But we wanted to go out to celebrate," moaned the woman. "We've just achieved something no human has ever accomplished! We've made an indestructible suit of armour!"

"It is far from indestructible!" Ranma snapped. "The suit is useless as anything but decoration as long as kinetic energy is transferred through it to the wearer!"

"Sorry," the woman whimpered, shocked at the bite to Ranma's tone. He hardly ever raised his voice to anyone, unless someone got hurt … that he did it when he received the memories of his clone, it was understandable that he felt somewhat miffed, but no one had gotten hurt by her statement of the suit's durability.

"No, I'm sorry for yelling," Ranma sighed. "Go out and celebrate after work, just get started on the next improvements first."

Hanging up, Ranma pondered on his reason for agreeing to get into the suit when he knew the risks.

The answer was simple: It was a deathtrap, but the only effective way to know the exact effects it had on the human body was to stuff one in there. No one else could live through the test to tell about it, so his clone had volunteered instead of wasting time constructing a mechanical gizmo to measure the internal forces of the suit. Or making a computer simulation … while they might be fairly accurate, they weren't to be trusted … too many chaotic variables for the programmer to take into consideration, much less include.

Something small, red and furry passed by Ranma's ankles, slowly followed by an already crawling Rei who squealed excitedly at the slow game of chase.

When Rei was almost on the creature, it hopped a little further away, and the chase was back on.

It amazed Ranma how quickly Rei had developed in the short time since she entered this world … normally, crawling wouldn't start to take place until three to six months. The cause might be the mix of harpy and weredinictis heritage, but Ranma, being the proud father, was certain she got it from him despite Nodoka saying that Ranma didn't crawl until nearly his third month.

The red creature was a Pau that Gina had brought home for Rei on a brief trip to Jade to further explore the underground home of the Shadow Elves, and like most of them, this one was red, looked somewhat like a fox with a cat's tail, six appendages used for locomotion and intelligent action. It had immediately taken to the infant, and was named "Paah" by Rei … this name might change in a few years when the girl was old enough to invent a more intelligent name.

Scooping up his baby girl, Ranma tickled her tummy and laughed as she giggled and changed into her griffin form. Giggles were replaced with content purrs from the tiny thing.

The Pau used its fairy-like wings to flutter up to Ranma's shoulder, where it perched and joined in the tickling with the soft, round end of its tail.

Life had returned to a somewhat normal state the days following the start of Ranma's lessons.

The Talons had left, taking with them Nodoka's teenage girl spirit, and leaving her with the pride of a mother and grandmother. After all, not many fathers had the time or energy to run an entire successful company, do some research, teach three students in Martial Arts, play with his child, have a nice meal with his family which included his mother, and keep seven women sexually sated. The last would undoubtedly lead to more grandchildren for her, which was the second reason she was thrilled about it … the primary reason being that he was being manly and assertive, something few men his age were with women.

Gina left every few days to continue her work as an Archaeologist, but the time away lessened now that she had someone to return to in the same way as her sister had. She now understood why her father was so sombre during her youth, after her mother was banished to Jade … it was something she could not live with, and so she made sure to spend as much time as possible with family and friends without destroying her chosen vocation. She also found that Wild Horse Inc. was the only company she would trust with her inventions, and like her youngest sibling signed on as a free-lance scientist for a modest pay plus royalties for anything of hers that was used by the company.

BeeBee had once more taken up her job as Ranma's personal assistant, though not the clones. She preferred the real thing. Wherever Ranma went, she remained within earshot - ready for anything he needed. This meant that she often observed the lessons Ranma taught, and if not, she did something on the ground outside the dojo … knitting seemed to have become a hobby for her … especially tiny blue socks and mittens.

When not getting nookie or taking care of bodily functions and needs, Brianna was holed up in her chosen room, which served as sanctuaries for the women that more often shared Ranma's bed. She cackled maniacally every time she was outside or not otherwise occupied, though, so Ranma knew she was up to something. The only sounds emerging from the closed room were hisses, crackles, booms and clanks. Ranma had a sneaking suspicion she was making plans for the surveillance and security satellites for the Penal Colony on the Moon, and pitied anyone dumb enough to break the rules there when that idea became reality.

Sheila resigned her post as an Edge Guard in person, and so was in Jade for a few days to traverse the distance between Seer's Hamlet and the Werewolf village. "With all this technology surrounding me, I feel like I've been rushing most everything else lately, so a good, long walk felt good." She had said cheerfully when asked why she hadn't just let Ranma bring her there directly. For some reason, he got the feeling Gar would have a "talk" with him in the not-too-distant future.

Charlotte spent large portions of her day either watching cooking programs or sitting with Kasumi in the kitchen. She wanted to be the bestest mother there ever was, and good mothers knew how to cook!

Kasumi, on holiday from College, sat with the harpy and happily offered advice that wasn't included in the programs.

Lydia had taken the compound's security on herself, and was often seen patrolling the fence or roof when not training, learning Ranma's lessons from a distance to better herself. She was still convinced that the wererat population would try to kill her for her apparent betrayal, not letting herself be fooled by the arrest of the Wererat Leader.

Depositing Rei in the living room under the caring eyes of Kasumi and Charlotte, Ranma stretched his back.

"I'm going over to the office for a little while," he announced. "They've had a breakthrough, and I need to make sure they don't get too relaxed."

"Please be gentle with them, Ranma-kun," Kasumi smiled.

* * *

At Wild Horse Inc. the scientists were excited about the success of the armour, but Ranma's appearance made some of them worried about him holding a grudge for what his clone experienced.

Fortunately for them, Ranma was not one to physically retaliate so late after a violation against him, especially against untrained civilians … however; he made a list as long as his arm, citing things that were required of the suit of armour before it could be declared a finished product ready for use.

Smirking evilly, Ranma looked on in satisfaction as his scientists realised that though he wouldn't _hurt_ them, he'd make them pay through the nose in effort.

"Are you serious?" asked Amai Anko, the assistant head of the department.

"Quite serious," Ranma confirmed.

"But why would you need even half of these?" asked the woman.

"You need reasons?" Ranma asked. "Very well. The additional shield around the armour is insurance, extra protection. Parts of it will of course be adjustable, such as the soles of the feet and the flat of the hand, so you won't go sliding around on thin air or have things slip through your fingers.

"The thrusters are in case of zero gravity, one has to have a way of moving around in those cases … and I suppose they would be useful for an extra boost in speed and dodging … or to slow down from a fall at terminal velocity … they all need to be individually and collectively controlled.

"The Peebo AI chip will help with keeping track of everything and will warn of low levels of any system or approaching object outside the field of vision, which leads me to the chi sonar, which will have to be made.

"A Stuff-Space generator or five in a utility pouch shouldn't need any explanation.

"Having a parachute tucked into a compartment near the shoulders should also be obvious, but to clarify, high falls shouldn't be an ignored possibility at any time, so better to be prepared than sorry even if our aim is to create a buffer for kinetic energy between the armour and user. After all, it would be most annoying to have to warn several miles of people within the predicted crash-site so they won't get blown over or incinerated upon impact, and at high enough velocity, we would need to bring digging equipment to get the armour out of the ground.

"For similar reasons, a floatation device should be installed along the neck and arm pits, and a signal light to go active upon impact with water so the recovery team can find them without much trouble.

"Easy entery and exit for the suit is simply to eliminate the need for an engineer or three each time it has to come on. I want to be able to get into the suit on my own, and so should everyone. Have I covered enough of the list, or should I go on?"

Grumbling, the woman realised that anything on the list could be justified in some way, and would likely have been suggested even if this had been a government project … but the government would have budjet cuts, and several things would have to be removed. This was not the case at Wild Horse Inc. as everything that made up the suit was actually very cheap, and Ranma was not known for letting things he wanted pass him by, least of all when the protection or safety of others came into play.

* * *

Several hours later, Ranma's participation and supervision of the project, which his scientists had jumped into eagerly after the explanation of why and what was to be done, led to something most uncomfortable: Nabiki stepping in.

"You're coming with me, Koki," she announced a second before grabbing his shoulder and pulling him away from the computer circuitry he was working on integrating into the suit to give the Peebo AI access to information from it.

"Nabiki?"

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" the enterprising young woman demanded.

"Five?" Ranma ventured. "So I owe these guys an hour overtime, not the end of the world …"

"It's nearly eleven," Nabiki deadpanned. "And Kasumi is getting impatient … I believe she was to be the 'main attraction' tonight-"

"Kuso!" Ranma swore and with movements faster than the normal human eye could follow packed up his equipment and redressed in his shirt which had become constrictive and hot at some point. "She'll never forgive me!"

"She might," Nabiki corrected. "But not for a while … and she won't get angry, just _disappointed_."

Ranma paled at what Nabiki implied. A disappointed Kasumi was a hundred times worse that enduring the sad look he'd seen the child-like Ryo-oh-ki from _"Tenchi Muyo"_ make when the Emperor of Jurai didn't compliment her on her singing! It was _almost_ worse than that time Rei had gotten a scratch and was crying in pain and confusion! And he'd cause Kasumi to feel that way, so instead of having the alternative to become angy, he felt guilty!

"Gotta go!" he yelled before disappearing in a swirl of light.

The instant Ranma showed his face in his bedroom, he was assaulted with hugs and kisses.

In the passionate embrace, Ranma noted that he was alone with Kasumi, which was unusual.

"Kasumi-chan?"

"Please take a seat, Ranma-kun," the flushed Kasumi encouraged brightly. "I have some news, and wanted us to be alone when I told you."

Ranma wanted to ask if it was bad news sinc she wanted him to sit, but wisely kept it in and did as asked.

"Ranma-kun," Kasumi sighed and joined her lover on the bed. "Do you think Rei is going to be lonely, not having any other children her age to play with?"

"Not really … how can she with six maternal figures in addition to her mother, and me?" Ranma said carefully. "I'm sure she'll find some friends when she starts school in a few years … right?"

"No, she'll have friends sooner than that," Kasumi disagreed cheerfully. "In eight months and two weeks, to be precice …"

Ranma, despite his unlocked intellect where it came to Martial Arts and Science, did not see where his girlfriend was taking this conversation. He couldn't for the life of him figure out how Kasumi could be so certain of his daughter's social life that far in advance.

"Ranma, I'm pregnant."

* * *

Author's Notes: This is the last official chapter of TBP … an epilogue will be posted within the next couple of months. I'd like to avoid getting flames for this, if at all possible. This is a short chapter, with a lot of rushed action, I know … I just can't seem to get inspired for this story any more and that is the result of forcing a story. I got the word count as close to 4000 as possible (not counting the Author's Notes) but didn't make it … Happy New Years. 


	47. Epilogue

Disclaimer; This fanfiction uses existing ideas, characters and or worlds, but is an independent work of art. I own nothing, hence the reason for publishing my writings here instead of in real books where I could make some money.

* * *

Epilogue

* * *

Outwardly, Tokyo had not changed much. 

Advertising boards still blotted out large portions of the sky from the ground – only now they were holographic projections rather than giant television screens or wood with paper glued onto them.

The hustle and bustle of the street still offended the ears – but no longer the lungs or noses, most noise was produced by the impatient motorists trying to get those in front of them to hurry up.

Young and old alike could enjoy the clean air again, even in the middle of the city … all thanks to Wild Horse Inc. and their heroic effort to make this world a better place to live.

Koki Ranma stood in his office, looking out on the world he had helped create … a nostalgic gleam in his eyes.

A little over twenty years had passed since his company produced the Suit, the all-purpose protection for use in anything from space travels, uniforms and deep sea exploration to hazmat and radiation protection. Sure, the gaming company responsible for the original design in their most popular game put up a small stink about the similarities, but as it helped promote their products, and with Wild Horse Inc. promising to adapt those games to more formats, they ended their complaints quickly.

Behind Ranma, sitting on his desk, was a small mountain of paperwork and reports. Most notable was the document from the International Board of Health, detailing the revised predicted average life-span of those born within that year.

Over the twenty years since Wild Horse Inc. started branching into the field of medicine and food, the average life-expectancy had steadily risen from eighty years to the figures on Ranma's desk, stating that the new age would be nearly twice that, and with the common ailments associated with old age pushed back more than forty years.

Diseases that had been lethal most of the time, such as AIDS, HIV, Ebola, bird flu and countless others had been reduced to the threat level of the common cold, thanks to treatments developed by Ranma's company.

Ranma was pushing for the monitoring chip to become mandatory all over the world – either implanted into the skin or worn as a permanent accessory. It would monitor the health of the wearer and send an alarm to the nearest hospital if it detected something life-threatening, such as the beginnings of angina, or build-up of anti-bodies when there was no disease present. This device would cut response time down considerably for the emergency personnel, and would allow doctors to nip any potential illness in the bud.

The only reason it had not become internationally used, was that some governments, upset with Wild Horse Inc. for not supplying them with weapons of mass destructions to prepare for possible attacks from outside their countries, raised questions about whether or not those chips could be a threat to security, or be used to invade privacy.

Ranma had at the meeting this was brought up, tampered with his microphone so it loudly reverberated the private conversation held by the representative who brought it up through the man's watch, and used this as an argument that ANYTHING could become an invasion of privacy for those with enough imagination and technological know-how. It had not gone over as well as he had hoped and from that day, Ranma had not set foot in such a hearing again, relying more on hand-picked employees to relay his opinions. He would then watch the video recording of the hearing to stay updated.

Ranma's reverie was broken as the door to his office opened.

"Dad," said the young man that stepped through, the spitting image of his maternal grandfather at that age, not including the moustache. "Aunt Nabiki is waiting for you at the Northern Research Colony, you're already five minutes late!"

"Then I'd better hurry," Ranma sighed. "She's never liked waiting, and especially not lately."

Koki Soun nodded with a grin as his father stuffed some documents into a briefcase – well, more like swept the entire content of his desk into the small receptacle – and elegantly strode around the wooden desk.

Not long after Kasumi had announced that she was pregnant with Soun, BeeBee had announced that she was pregnant as well – Ranma had not wanted more of his children to be born out of wedlock, and had arranged to be married with all his seven girlfriends within a short time. It was the wedding of the decade, and the photos of it were released world wide.

Sweeping down the hallways, Ranma didn't need to look twice as a pregnant BeeBee caught up with them and kept their stride.

Over twenty years, Ranma had become a father ten times divided between his seven wives. BeeBee was carrying her second one – they had not wanted to find out the gender of the baby, wanting to figure out the old-fashioned way.

The Departure room was one of the most heavily guarded areas of the building – as were the other Rings scattered across the universe. But Ranma passed through security without pause, and activated the transportation device.

A few steps later, Ranma strode away from the Ring on red, dusty ground.

Mars hadn't changed much since he was there last a month earlier. The only difference was that the storage building had been expanded on, and the wheel tracks were more pronounced.

Tall walls rose around the main part of the colony, and turrets of automated defences perched atop the wall. Unfortunately, such defensive measures were necessary, and the range of each turret was to the end of the colony land. Shields would activate in a dome over the entire colony in case of an attack, and the farmers around the Research facility would seek shelter in the facility behind the walls.

"You're late," accused the stern voice of Tendo Nabiki.

Turning to the sound, Ranma was confronted with another pregnant woman, tapping her left foot impatiently, waiting for an apology. Nabiki had never married, and likely never would – there were too many gold-digging men out there for her to be sure that whomever she chose wasn't trying to get his hands on the tidy little fortune she had saved up by not paying rent or necessities, or trying to get to the top of the industry through her business connections.

That wasn't to say she hadn't dated anyone – but it was because of those cases that she discovered how lonely her job would make her.

For the past three years, Nabiki had propositioned Ranma about becoming the father of her child – he was the only one she could trust not to use such an advantage against her – well, that and he had excellent genes.

Ranma had turned her down each time, even when she resorted to threats, bribes or seduction.

The breaking point had been when the resourceful Tendo woman had sought out her elder sister, and suggested her proposition to her. Kasumi thought it was an excellent idea, as her sister wouldn't be as lonely any more and it would tie the family together more … some of the younger children were still under the illusion that Aunt Nabiki was the same kind of Aunt the other ones were, since she lived with them. And after getting a baby with him, she almost would be.

After the suggestion had been agreed to by Ranma's wives, he had little choice but to comply, which resulted in Nabiki's current condition – twins. He hadn't liked doing the deed with Nabiki, even if his body enjoyed it, and he swore never to have such relations with anyone but his wives.

"I'm sorry," Ranma surrendered. "I was lost in thought after our latest medical report. Things are steadily improving …"

"You're not old enough to start letting your mind wander," Nabiki insisted crossly, an emotion that quickly switched off as soon as BeeBee came into view.

After Nabiki gave Ranma instruction about where he was needed, the two pregnant women went off to rest their ankles and talk about things – Ranma had learned long ago that sitting in on a gossip session between pregnant women was not a pleasant ordeal, so he was glad he had business to attend to.

Mars was the greatest success of Wild Horse Inc.

When the Suit was a viable protection for the harsh climate on the life-less planet, Ranma called in a favour from the Kryyn, and had them place three Rings on the fourth planet from the sun. One Ring close to each pole and one along the equator. Several satellites had also been deposited in orbit around the planet, bouncing a one-way shield between one another to trap as much oxygen inside as possible, and acting as an artificial greenhouse effect.

The polar ice had been covered in black algae, and other very dark plants – including black roses curtesy of Kuno Kodachi, who had joined Wild Horse Inc. shortly after Ranma's wedding, oddly enough sane enough to realise she could never have him. One Erwin Talon would also join the company a few years later when his working would not be considered child labour … for one reason or another, Ranma had made an impression on him – Kodachi and Erwin got along splendidly.

An excavation team had dug trenches leading away from the poles, and into the natural canals, gorges and depressions already carved into the surface.

The darkness of the flora, which thrived in Mars' atmosphere as long as they weren't torn from their resting place by strong winds, absorbed heat from the sun and helped melt the ice. The water not only nourished the plantlife, but also started flowing along the canals, allowing flora to spread across the planet. This in turn, over a period of five years, made the atmosphere breathable, and the climate more tolerable, though storms still occurred regularly and with more ferocity than on Earth.

Ranma still remembered how he announced to the world that Mars was now ready for colonization …

He had, while still wearing his Suit, walked into the valley where one of the Viking crafts had landed, stopped in front of the mounted camera, which had slowly followed his process until he stood still for about twenty minutes, and held up his company logo, with the message "We came here first" followed by the removal of his helmet.

When he was sure they had been shocked enough, Ranma held up a second sign telling them to recheck their atmospheric readings to verify that this was not a faked transmission.

In five years, and for less than a million yen, Ranma had done something that no government on Earth had managed to even conceive of being possible in less than several decades of hard work and trillions of dollars spent on materials, training and wages.

For almost a year later, Ranma's face was plastered across the news in some way or another, with the moniker of "First Martian Colonist" attached to his name.

Ranma was personally sued by a group of people who had bought property on Mars, for setting up colonies on their land – Ranma won the lawsuit, because the judge decided that as no one had been on the planet to claim it prior to Ranma's company, no other company had any right to sell land on it, and the lawsuit was turned to the online realtors who had sold the land instead.

The UN reluctantly agreed that as Ranma's company was the first ones to put any claim on the planet, he would be the one to decide what to do with it. Out of generosity, Ranma claimed three hundred thousand square kilometres around each Research colony, and allowed the UN to distribute the rest of the planet among the countries of Earth. This almost resulted in World War Three, as the maps used to divide the land were obsolete and had not accounted for the melted water, meaning some countries felt snubbed that large areas of their land was flooded – they had tried to muscle in on their neighbours who did not like this.

Ranma had to step in and threaten to take away their only means of getting to Mars without spending billions of dollars per dozen colonists and several years of preparation, construction and travel.

Shortly after the world was made aware of the terraforming efforts made by Wild Horse Inc. there was an attempted kidnapping of Kasumi and Soun, who had been visiting Soun the elder.

Once Ranma found out, the kidnappers had barely survived the resulting explosion of anger. They had crashed through the doors of the nearest police station, confessing wildly to all sorts of crimes, as long as they made sure they were safe from that _animal_.

No one attempted to use physical force against Ranma's loved ones again.

Shaking his head of his darkening thoughts, Ranma pushed open the door of the Soil Research Department.

The three Research Colonies specialised on different areas – the Northern Colony focused on farming, environment and such – the Central Colony focused on commercial products, such as games, comfort products and transportation – the Southern Colony focused on weapons and exploration.

The Northern Colony was responsible for the production and improvements to the Fast Food chain run by the company, aptly named "Fast & Healthy" – it had been proven time ans again that anything served from this restaurant chain was not only healthy, but also very good tasty – a combination that was hard to come by.

The Central Colony had spat out many things that twenty years after the Suit was considered household names.

The Spring Car, which was a less advanced version of Ranma's car, meaning it only had the driving mechanisms and comfort additions, but no flying, diving or weapons attachments … Ranma didn't want people to take to the air at the first convenience, because that would drastically increase the number of accidents in vehicles, and equipping everyone with weapons was just begging for a massacre if a traffic jam occurred.

Though, as it was clean, efficient and silent, the Spring Car, once it had an appearance alteration from the large blocky design of Ranma's car to resemble more contemporary cars were sold so fast that to the day, Wild Horse Inc. had hundreds more on backorder when they produced almost a thousand a day, six days a week, three weeks a month – on average.

The console games produced by Wild Horse Inc. also came from the Central Colony, and were among the highest sold games in modern times. Voted most popular console five years in a row, they were capable of creating very life-like artificial environments in the mind of the user, or project very realistic targets in the real world.

Because of the hazard risks of the projected games, none of them would feature mutants, monsters or terrorists of any kind, but were saved for the stationary "VR" console. This was what made the portable console very popular among families with young children – the games aimed at this group were mostly learning games, or "hide and seek" with cute creatures.

Separate versions had been made for the use of training.

A Martial Arts training projection game would project a Martial Arts Instructor – bearing an eery resemblance to Ranma – who would go through kata, and register whether or not the gamer followed those instructions correctly. Appropriate discipline was dispenced if the gamer was unable to perform correctly, which meant the less serious gamers would quit after the first few lessons unless they were very serious and dedicated. Granted, the Martial Arts training games did not exceed a certain point, and recommended to locate the nearest dojo of the style to verify the teachings and skill level.

A Spec-Op "VR" console game would simulate a variety of missions, weapons and complications ranging from extra security to traitors. Similarly, the Aviation version would simulate various engine troubles that needed to be compensated for in order to get a successful landing.

After the five years of awards for these games, other gaming companies did their best to compete by making new consoles with similar features – the only differences were lesser quality of graphics, clumsier appearance and being reliant on batteries or chargers.

The Southern Colony were looking for ways to improve the Suit and existing Ki and Chi Cannons, and were in the process of creating space craft capable of traversing solar systems in a matter of days rather than months or years. The engine was a larger Ki Booster similar to the one in Ranma's car, and its size was large enough that, no matter where one was near the Southern Colony, its growing outline would be visible on the horizon.

The satellites planned for the yet-to-come Moon Prison Colony would be produced in the Southern Research Colony.

Entering the corridor to the many research rooms of the Soil department, Ranma was nearly run down by a pink-haired young woman he knew very well.

"Rei, what have I told you about running over people?" Ranma scolded in a mock upset tone.

"Sorry, Daddy," the woman apologised sheepishly. She had inherited her mother's figure, but thankfully not her claws, wings and talons in human form – and her personality was bubbly at most times, which made it very difficult for most scientists to take her serious, even if she had gotten doctor degrees in Science, Chemistry, Metallurgy, Robotics, Physical Education and Physics by the time she was eighteen – thanks to tutoring by Ranma, BeeBee, Brianna, Gina, Lydia and Sheila since she was old enough to understand them, though Lydia and Sheila had focused more on the Physical Education than anything else.

She now worked as the lead scientist in the Soil Research Department, though she visited the other departments on Mars to offer suggestions and help. Her younger brother had gotten similar degrees, but settled for a less exciting job in Accounting at his Dad's office.

Shaking his head in humour, Ranma gave his first-born a hug.

"It's nice to see you again," he added. "It's been much too long."

"Daaad, I came home to visit two weeks ago," Rei mock whinged. "I spent more time away at a time when I went to College."

"I know, but parents always miss their children when they aren't home," Ranma lectured. "So, what was the horribly important discovery you made?"

The bubbly pink-haired woman grabbed onto her father's arm and almost pulled him along so he looked like a streamer in the wind.

Rei had her very own office in which to do experiments with the soil, and this was their destination.

Despite what people thought or assumed, Ranma did not favour his daughter over his other employees – she had shown her worthiness as lead scientist through her initiative in searching the soil for minerals not found on Earth, and she was able to get the others to work harder than they normally would have bothered to, keeping them from getting lax in their research.

On the middle of the table in the centre of the room, a card deck-sized piece of metal rested.

"This is it!" she announced triumphantly.

Ranma nudged the metal brick with his finger and then picked it up. It was light and strong. It had a reddish colour, and was smooth to the touch.

Turning it around, examining it, Ranma came to the conclusion that this was a metal alloy he hadn't seen before.

"What is it?" Ranma asked, returning the block to his daughter.

"It is an alloy made from three different minerals found exclusively on this planet," Rei explained excitedly. "It's tougher than duralumin, lighter than aluminium and it allows better conductivity for ki and chi tech without bleeding anything off!"

"Which improves the efficiency of our devices," Ranma concluded.

"Yes!"

"And it would make it possible to make our Suits in this metal instead of plastic, thus conserving oil and making them naturally more resilient."

"Exactly!"

"Excellent work," Ranma complimented. "Remind me to add a small bonus to your team's paycheck at the end of the year."

"Of course," Rei agreed.

This was the reason so many scientists were crawling out of the woodworks to get a job at Wild Horse Inc. and why they quickly became so loyal to him – Ranma rewarded excellence, and made sure to only verbally reprimand and encourage a failing team as a whole instead of singling out only one individual. He was tough, but fair, and he wasn't like most Owners or Bosses in that he had no idea what he was talking about – though he got them after having started his company, Ranma had been awarded doctor degrees in several fields, including Robotics, Engineering, Quantum Physics, Mechanics and Metallurgy.

As Ranma went over the plans for applications of the new alloy, which had apparently been made from minerals that were found on the surface rather than underground, he couldn't help but think that even if it was far into the future and he was in excellent health, he would be leaving the children he had raised and bore in his own black paws in a better world than he was born into.

That was the most any father could hope to achieve as their undying legacy.

* * *

Author's Notes: I'm actually very irate at the moment. Not long after posting the previous chapter, I had finished the outlines for the Epilogue of this story, the next chapter for CoP and was beginning the next one for WR, when the power went out. Okay, no biggie, I turned the computer back on when the power returned and was about to continue my writing when I discovered a problem … nothing had been saved, even though I repeatedly did so – in fact, I make it a point to save after the end of each sentence or if I look away from the screen for a little while. As it turns out, there was a problem with something called the PRO11.MSI, which was needed to "convert" the files into text … without it, the additional files I had saved the text on would only show a blank page. I went about fixing the problem, and when I did … once again it showed me a blank page instead of the text I had spent days writing (combined, over ten pages of text) and was actually satisfied with how turned out. Thus the reason I am irate. I had to rewrite everything from scratch when I didn't remember half of what I'd written!

And here it is, the last chapter of The Black Paw – a little shorter than I thought it would be, but hopefully acceptable. I will now and again look into rereading the story and post corrected versions. When this happens, I will post a message in my profile.


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